An Assessment of the Coping Mechanisms Against Seasonal Floods in Bumasheti Sub-County, Bududa District, Uganda

Abstract

The study mainly looked at the assessment of coping mechanisms against seasonal floods in Bumasheti Sub-County, Bududa District, Uganda. It identified the challenges affecting the coping mechanisms against seasonal floods in the area and it proposed solutions to the challenges.  Simple random sampling technique, using the lottery method was used to select the 41 primary respondents for the study, who included the local community members, that is, the local farmers, youth and the elderly in the community. Purposive sampling was used on the 16 key informants who included the local leaders and the sub-county officials like environment officer, and other officials in the area. Quantitative data analysis was based on 41 questionnaires for the local community members. Qualitative data was gathered from the key informant responses and focus group discussions. Quantitative data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Content analysis was used to analyze qualitative data. The findings revealed that mechanisms in place to alert people about seasonal floods are largely poor in Bumasheti Sub-County, Bududa District, Uganda. The findings also revealed that, using the irrigation canals was preferred, compared to other coping mechanisms. The findings further revealed that the construction of flood protection embankments is to a greater extent less relevant to the local populace in terms of coping with seasonal floods. The findings also revealed that flood plain zoning restriction on use of plains is not an appropriate coping mechanism for the area. The challenges affecting the coping mechanisms against seasonal floods in Bumasheti Sub-County, Bududa District identified by the study included: difficulty to repair cracks, loss of lives, difficulty to predict floods in this part of the world and the effect of steep area on the land. The proposed solutions to the challenges included the construction of safe place for food, clean water and basic necessities, defense against the spread of floods, disassociation from building under the hills and hard lands, constant watch to monitor water levels during the night and utilization of the indigenous knowledge passed down by parents. The study recommends that tight restrictions/rules be set which restrict settlement by people on those areas prone to flooding so as to prevent the negative impacts that might result to death.