Production and Dissemination of Severe Weather Warnings in Uganda PRESENTED IN THE WMO SWFDP WORKSHOP FOR EASTERN AFRICA 26 TH NOVEMBER 2012, GOLFVIEW.

Production and Production and Dissemination of Severe Dissemination of Severe Weather Warnings in Weather Warnings in UgandaUganda

PRESENTED IN THE WMO SWFDP WORKSHOP FOR EASTERN AFRICA 26TH NOVEMBER 2012, GOLFVIEW HOTEL

MARGARET NANKYA SERWANJA

Severe weather events in Severe weather events in UgandaUgandaHeavy rainsLightningHailstormsOTHERS LandslidesFloods

Production of Daily Production of Daily ForecastsForecastsForecast briefingConsensusWriting the text ( English and

Luganda)Graphic representation of

weather forecastRecording of forecast on DVD

TapeTransfer to the TV Station

ChallengesChallengesCurrently forecasts are not

broadcast on TVNot all the radio stations that

receive the forecasts issue them

Issuance of Warnings of Issuance of Warnings of Severe Weather in UgandaSevere Weather in UgandaSevere weather warnings are

issued through the Media Centre by the Commissioner.

Thereafter the updates are sent out to the media by the PRO. He uses data sent from the NMC ( Forecasting Office)

Mobile Weather AlertMobile Weather AlertFishermen on Lake Victoria are

regularly sent forecasts, alerts and warnings via their mobile phones. This enables them make informed decisions as to whether to go out on the lake or not.

FloodingFlooding in Kampala, June 29in Kampala, June 29thth 20112011

Kampala heavy rains that Kampala heavy rains that lasted well over 30 minutes lasted well over 30 minutes flooded several roads. flooded several roads.

El Nino 2010El Nino 2010The seasonal forecast was issued

through the Media Centre under the Ministry of Information

Landslides were expected and warnings given through the Media-TV, radio, print

All relevant Government departments were informed – Ministry of Water and Environment , Department of Disaster management, Ministry of Agriculture, Health etc

Various TV, radio and Print media houses continued to get updates from the Department on phone or came physically.

However, a landslide that occurred still had devastating effects.

2010 Landslide in 2010 Landslide in BududaBududaBududa District is found in the

Eastern Region part of Uganda about 365 kilometres from the capital city, Kampala.

LOCATION OF BUDUDA LOCATION OF BUDUDA DISTRICTDISTRICT

Physical backgroundPhysical background

The district lies at an average altitude of 1,800 metres (5,900 ft) above sea level on the slopes of Mt. Elgon, a dormant Pliocene shield (mid-plate) volcano on the border of Uganda and Kenya.

ClimateClimateMt Elgon has a bimodal rainfall

pattern with no dry season and with an annual mean between 1,500-1,800 mm.

Population densityPopulation densityAccording to the 2002 census

Bududa has an average population density of more than 1300 persons km2. This rapidly increasing density implies there is land scarcity in the district where subsistence agriculture is the main land use. Land parcels are therefore small (approximately 35 m2) and even unstable slopes, often steeper than 80% are cultivated.

LandslidesLandslides

Landslides are therefore common in the districts of Mt. Elgon. These districts include Bududa, Sironko, Mbale, Manafwa, Kapchorwa and Bukwo.

Fig 2. Landslide types occurring in Manjiya County, Mount Elgon , Uganda by Knappen A. and et al 2006.

Landslide of 1Landslide of 1stst March March 20102010On the night of Monday 1st March 2010 a

massive landslide struck Nametsi village in Bududa District.

The tragedy followed a heavy seven-hour downpour which started falling at about midday.

This was the largest and most catastrophic landslide on the Mount Elgon.

Causes of the landslideCauses of the landslide

Causes of the landslideCauses of the landslideHowever, deforestation may have also played a role.

Deforested mountains are very prone to landslides because there is a lot of loose material- namely soil and rocks.

 On a steep slope, trees anchor the soil.

Causes of the landslideCauses of the landslideSources from the Uganda Wildlife

Authority (UWA), also pointed out that the affected area was technically inside Mt. Elgon National Park, a protected area, but had been encroached, with villagers felling trees and cultivating on steep slopes since 2007, which may have been a contributing factor for the immense scale of the tragedy.

Effects of the LandslideEffects of the LandslideOver 300 people confirmed dead . The missing reportedly also include about 100 school children who had taken shelter in one of the villages from the torrential downpour and who were swept away by the mass of water, mud and rocks coming down the mountainside.

Effects of the LandslideEffects of the LandslideThree villages in total were wiped

out in the location, known as Bukalasi subcounty with Nametsi being the hardest hit. The Red Cross said two other villages of Namakansa and Kubewo were also affected.

Effects of the LandslideEffects of the Landslide

About eighteen of the dead were recovered from River Manafwa about 26 kilometres from where the disaster struck.

It is estimated that nearly 50,000 people, some occupying the immediate precincts of the extinct volcano, are regularly exposed to the threat from landslides.

Effects of the LandslideEffects of the Landslide

Woman mourns the death of her husband and son. Photo by Stephen Wandera

Relatives stand next to the remains of landslide victims. Photo by Stephen Wandera

The Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) sent a specialised unit of about a hundred (100) special forces to join in the search for bodies and lucky survivors. Photo by Stephen Wandera

Houses were destroyed

Animals were buried by the mud

Survivors of a landslide undergo treatment at Budaka hospita

The displaced

A girl cooking food at Bulucheke camp

A young boy roasts matooke to eat. Where are his parents and siblings?

What next ?

Other effects of the Other effects of the landslide landslide Butaleja district was particularly

affected by floods because it is a low-lying area through which water from the Mt. Elgon region drains.

 According to experts the problem is

compounded by the fact that Butaleja has many rivers which have burst their banks due to the large volumes of water driven to the area by River Manafwa.

Floods in ButalejaFloods in ButalejaNawangofu, Budumba, Busabi,

Maizimasa Namutu and Kachonga were the hardest-hit sub-counties, rendering 37,000 people homeless, .

The torrential rains of the end of February and beginning of March 2010 have washed away latrines and made mud and wattle houses collapse.

Effect on Education:Effect on Education: At least four schools in Butaleja

were closed due to flooding of classrooms and latrines.

Over 2,000 pupils at Doho, Namalere, Lubembe and Bugombe primary schools were faced with a double tragedy-they were homeless and could not attend classes.

Effect on AgricultureEffect on AgricultureButaleja, was a leading rice

producer and a regional food basket in the past.

Several gardens were water logged.

Most crops in the gardens were washed away or are rotting.

There was a severe food shortage.

Cassava rotted in water Cassava rotted in water logged gardenslogged gardens

Effect on HealthEffect on Health

Famine, malnutrition and outbreak of diseases such as cholera and malaria affected the people.

Effect on TransportEffect on Transport

The Mbale-Busolwa road was also closed due to flooding.

About 31 kilometres has become impassable, with gravel eroded, sections submerged and culverts and bridges washed away.

WHAT TO DOWHAT TO DORefurbish weather studio and resume weather presentations.

Training of PWS teamTraining of Media ( UBCTV and radio)

Reactivate websiteImprove the mailing list

Partnership with MediaPartnership with MediaIssuance of warnings about intense rainfall from the Department of Meteorology on the radio or TV. (Signing of MOU)

Issuance of emergency weather updates on the radio or TV.

Use of local languagesUse of local languages

Translate warnings and updates about the heavy rain in local languages.

ResearchResearch

Carry out research to enhance understanding of weather patterns especially in this era of climate change.

THE END