Senior Reporter
A section of Farmers in Bufundi sub-county, Rubanda district are living in fear of looming famine due to prolonged drought that has greatly hit the area.
The drought comes after heavy rains that destroyed most of the gardens, threatening to spark famine in May this year. It’s now Four months since it last rained in Rubanda district.
Our reporter observed that the area that used to be “the Switzerland of Africa” was drying.
According to farmers, they say that this is the first of its kind for Rubanda to undergo a long drought adding that they are in fear that they may be hit by famine since they were used to receiving rains at the beginning of August but this is not the case this year.
They added that even the seedlings that they had planted accepting that the rains would come had all been dried up by the long spell.
Farmers also say that they don’t know what could be the cause that has stopped the rains, adding that the government should come up with a program that provides them with seedlings.
The founder of Green Environment Protection Evelyne attributes the drought to environmental degradation whereby swamps are being reclaimed, deforestation, and plastic pollution adding that this is an indication that people don’t mind the environment.
Kikafunda calls upon all people to take part in protecting the environment adding that environmentalists should devise means on how to protect the environment.
The Rubanda District woman Member of Parliament Akampurira Prosy Mbabazi Begumisa says that the issue of drought is not only in Rubanda.
She adds that the drought comes after the area was hit by heavy rains which caused a lot of challenges adding that now it is the drought that may affect the farmers.
Akampurira further says that as a leader, she will continue to educate farmers on better methods of farming depending on climate change.
