Hon. Geoffrey Ocen Kiring, the Kioga North Member of Parliament has asked government to investigate the rising water levels of Lakes Kyoga and Kwania, for its flooding is threatening livelihoods and displacing communities in Amolatar District.
Ocen, made the call during a meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Climate Change held at Acii Primary School in Acii Sub-county, Amolatar District on Thursday.
He said the water levels of the two lakes have been rising significantly since 2022, including during the dry season, resulting in the flooding of farmland, displacement of families and disruption of access to essential services such as schools, health centers and markets.
Ocen asked the committee to push for urgent government intervention, particularly the construction of the road through Ocomboli Swamp connecting Acii to Muchora Parish the road has been submerged by floodwater, cutting off eight villages with more than 3,000 households from the mainland.
Kioga County MP Hon. Colines Angwech urged the committee to present the plight of communities affected by flooding in Amolatar before Parliament, adding that residents of Muchora Parish urgently need government support because the area has been cut off from the mainland, making it difficult for people to access essential services and humanitarian assistance.
Amolatar District Woman MP Hon. Janet Auma Okao also called on the committee to push government to support residents of Muchora Parish, saying the community has received inadequate support despite repeated appeals by local leaders over the past five years.
Amolatar District Chairperson Morish Ogwal Omara, said the scale of the flooding is beyond the capacity of the district local government and requires direct intervention from the central government and asked the committee to follow up on the construction of a Dam in Oriamai Cell, Amolatar Town Council.
Ogwal Omara said that government, through the Ministry of Water and Environment, has invested more than Shs600 million in the project, but the Dremains incomplete.
Amolatar Chief Administrative Officer Rodha Oroma called for special consideration for the district, saying the effects of flooding have created numerous challenges that require strategic government intervention.
Meanwhile, Dokolo North MP Joseph Johns Ogwal urged the three Members of Parliament from Amolatar to consider drafting a joint motion for presentation before Parliament to highlight the impact of flooding on their constituents.
Ogwal added that the communities in Bata Inland in Dokolo District are facing a similar challenge after being cut off by floods, promising to raise the concerns of both Amolatar and Dokolo before the Parliamentary Committee on Climate Change and push for government intervention.
The committee chairperson, Aggrey Henry Bagiire, who is also the MP for Bunya West, thanked the legislators and local leaders for presenting the challenges facing communities in Amolatar and pledged to present the concerns raised to Parliament for consideration and possible government intervention.
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