Floods hit 50 000 Ugandans
2007-08-23 08:10
Kampala - Flooding in eastern Uganda has forced 2 000 people from their homes and affected 50 000 during the heaviest rains there for 35 years, say humanitarian agencies.
Unusually, heavy rains had fallen since late July with nearly 4 000 households reporting damage to food crops, raising concerns that the harvest would be seriously affected, according to initial United Nations assessments.
Kristen Knutson, spokesperson at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said: "These are the heaviest rains eastern Uganda has experienced in 35 years."
Landslides had been reported in some areas and Knutson said the number of affected households was expected to rise.
Flood waters had contaminated springs, boreholes and wells for thousands of Ugandans, and many people reported being too afraid to use latrines in case they collapsed, said the UN.
Though no outbreaks of infectious diseases had been confirmed, the conditions heightened the risks of malaria, diarrhoea, skin diseases, chest infections and intestinal diseases. The government of Uganda and the UN were sending teams to the affected areas.
- AP