By KT Reporter
More than 300 households in Arukulong trading center, Zambia parish, along the Kamdini- Gulu highway in Oyam district have been displaced by floods from their homes.
The heavy rains, which started on Saturday morning, left a trail of destruction ranging from the collapse of houses to the massive destruction of household properties and groceries from local shops.
Food and household items were washed away, while crop gardens were swamped, leaving residents at a loss.
Godfrey Atim, the chairperson of the trading center, disclosed that the floods started on Saturday morning with heavy rains, destroying grass thatched and semi-permanent structures. He said 310 out of the 360 households in the trading center have been affected, including a private primary school, which has been submerged.
The 58-year-old man said it is the first time in his lifetime witnessing such an occurrence in his area.
Translation: “This thing, since I was born, I had never seen it until yesterday, and it was a shocker because it came with a lot of force. In just a minute, the entire area was flooded, and we thought maybe some Lake had burst its banks, but then we realized it was from the Myene swam, and it destroyed all our homes and properties.”
He said the affected families have taken shelter with other families in the nearby Aruku-long village. However, the only road connecting to that village was cut off by the floods two days ago.
Atim wants the government and other well-wishers to come to their rescue, saying locals will die from hunger.
Brenda Ayena, a resident of the trading center, lost all eight grass thatched houses in the floods is now staying in her neighbor’s house with her three children. She says her biggest challenge is what to feed her young children, who cannot go a day without food.
Another resident, Christine Alex Otim, a treasurer of a Village Savings Group, says she lost over 4 million shillings during the flash flood, which came at a time when she was attending a burial at a nearby village.
Otim suspects that the money, which was in two separate shopping bags stored inside a metallic box, must have been stolen by first responders who were salvaging household items.
She is now worried about what the group members, especially those who were not affected by the flood, say about the lost money.
Early this year, Oyam District leaders warned residents, especially those living near the wetland, to reconsider relocating to other areas in anticipation of potential flooding, as the region continued to experience heavy rainfall.
James Shilaku, the Oyam Resident District Commissioner, explained that the matter has been reported to the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) for immediate intervention.
Moses Opio, the District Environmental Officer, attributed the recurrent floods to human activities, which he said interfere with the natural flow of water. He warned that if not stopped, the entire district would be flooded soon.
Last year, Abok Sub-County experienced severe flooding following heavy rainfall between the months of August and September, affecting 149 households and destroying acres of farmland.
The flooding was later reported in other parts of the district, and a total of 793 flood victims across the District were given relief support, which included 20 tons of beans and maize flour from the Office of the Prime Minister.
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