Impacts of floods on community livelihoods of Karusandara Sub-county in Kasese district

Abstract

Floods are among the most destructive climate change disasters in Uganda. They cause physical damage to property and loss of lives. Despite these, little had been documented to ascertain the extent of flood impacts in Karusandara sub-county in Kasese district. This study aimed to address this knowledge gap through assessing the implications of floods on communities in Karusandara sub-county, Kasese district. The study also identified flood adaptation strategies used by the people and assessed the challenges encountered in adapting to floods. Karusandara sub-county was purposively selected and households were used as sampling framework. This study was based on a cross sectional research design where qualitative and quantitative methods were used to collect data. In addition, this study was also based on primary and secondary data. The study used various tools of data collection for example questionnaires, direct observation, key informant interviews and photography to collect data. The collected data was coded, processed and later entered into SPSS. This data was analysed using descriptive statistics, factor and content analysis. Results were displayed in bar graphs and tables. For the general objective of assessing the implications of floods on communities in Karusandara sub-county, this study found out floods to cause destruction of crop gardens (22%), death of people and livestock (22%), destruction of transport and telecommunication infrastructures (14%), reduction in water quality (8%), cause water borne diseases (6%), displacement of people (6%), delay of road rehabilitation (2%), destruction of health facilities and schools (4%), reduction of agricultural output (2%), increase under development and poverty (8%) and cause continuous diversion of government funds (6%). The study further identified the various flood adaptation strategies these included; construction of canals and sand banks (6%), protection of water sources (24%), raising the house floor (18%), building resilient infrastructures (16%), cultivation on higher grounds (10%), putting early warning systems (16%) and migration to safe areas (10%).