KATONGA FLOODING: A team of Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) Directors and experts on Friday morning May 12th 2023, inspected a damaged section of River Katonga on Kampala- Masaka Road to find an immediate response on how to fix the bridge on the busy highway.
The team, led by the Acting UNRA Executive Director Eng. Samuel Muhoozi along with a team of experts carried out a technical assessment at the damaged section of Katonga on Kampala- Masaka road which caved in on Thursday evening due to flash flooding of the River.
Eng. Samuel Muhoozi said after the evaluation exercise, UNRA will inform the immediate response to be undertaken once water levels subside.
Eng. Muhoozi also expressed his gratitude to motorists for adhering to the traffic guidelines during this period as they work towards restoring the damaged section of the main road at Katonga.
The Uganda Police and the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) diverted traffic to Mpigi-Kanoni-Maddu-Ssembabule-Masaka & vice versa alternative route which is approximately 195Km to allow water levels to subside.
Villa Maria- Kabulasoke Road was also been cut off by flash floods at another section of River Katonga, paralysing transport between Kalungu and Gomba districts.
Netizens have since asked UNRA to construct a beam bridge along River Katonga and Lweera Wetland like the one which was constructed along Nambigirwa swamp on Entebbe Express highway, as a long lasting solution for flash floods which damaged the busy highway to South Western Uganda.
Geographers, environmentalists and ecologists have since blamed the government of Uganda and the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) for allowing investors to degrade the environment by establishing rice farms and sand mining in Lweera wetland which interconnects to river Katonga in Kalungu District leading to the severe flooding of the river.
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