We are helpless, locals cry out as floods wash major bridges

Hundreds of Communities from the three Sub Counties  Of Aka, Jangokoro and Athuma in Zombo District are locked in a surge of anxiety, following the sweeping away of three major  Bridges. #WhisperEyeNews #UgandaNews

The three footbridges were sometimes back-erected by locals since the district is financially incapacitated.

The three bridges include Nyagak Paa Kiru Bridge which connects Aka and Jangokoro Sub counties, Nyagak Paa Okecha Bridge which connects Athuma and Jangokoro Sub counties and Nyagak Paa Kulu Bridge.

The bridges grants access to key essential services like schools, health facilities, amongst others.

Additionally, local leaders reported this morning the flooding of Nyagak Paa Okecha Bridge.

A resident of Congambe Parish in Jangokoro Sub-county Geoffrey Odaga told the Whisper Eye News “We are in the middle of crisis now, we are totally helpless, the whole bridge is swept away and we are totally disconnected”.

Mary Acanda of Congambe trading centre in Jangokoro Sub-county said “If this situation was in other parts of the country, you would see government officials from the works ministry going in to help and issue statement but here, there is nothing, yet we vote for the government upside down,”

Peter Okecha another resident said, “We have been voicing our concerns severally but nothing is done, our district can’t manage this crisis, Nyagak River is amongst the biggest river in this country but no one cares, we are just alone in this crisis”.

Jangeya Walter explained that ” following a heavy downpour, the whole bridge is no more, students From Aka Sub-county cant cross to Jangokoro seed secondary school in Jangokoro Sub County, People who want to access Jangokoro health centre III can’t do so because this is the only bridge that they use”.

This is the third time that this temporary structure is getting washed away since 2021,  according  To The District councillor of Jangokoro sub county David Arua.

Arua revealed that ”  locals have been left helpless after the only Nyagak Paa Okecha Bridge that connects Athuma and Jangokoro has immersed in the waters”.

He added that  ” as local leaders together with the LCV chairperson Zombo, we have been mobilizing resources locally to work on these bridges but it’s always swept away by the floods, the river is too wide, the district budget can’t manage this situation, it’s a terrible experience that we are going through now,

Recently, 14 major bridges broke down In different parts of Zombo.

The district has dispatched their team from the engineering department to ascertain facts about the dire situation on the ground.

The LCV chairperson Of Zombo James Oruna Oyullu who cautioned residents against risking crossing over, said they had submitted a report about the bridges to the Ministry of Works and Transport.

He also called upon development partners to stand in the gap.

Apparently,  local governments are restricted by the Ministry of Works and Transport from constructing bridges using timber and concrete but are instead advocating for concrete and steel bridge construction,  which is so expensive for local governments ladened with insufficient funds.

Currently, Locals in different parts of Zombo are taking matters into their own hands using resources mobilized locally, to work on bridges and roads due to resource constraints at the District and Sub County levels.