The 2010 Ugandan landslide occurred in the Bududa District in eastern

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The south ...

on 1 March 2010. The

landslide Landslides, also known as landslips, are several forms of mass wasting that may include a wide range of ground movements, such as rockfalls, deep-seated slope failures, mudflows, and debris flows. Landslides occur in a variety of environments, ...

was triggered by heavy rain between 12 pm and 7 pm that day. At least 100 people were believed to have been killed, and 94 bodies were found.

Casualties

A spokesman for the Ugandan Red Cross stated that rescuers had recovered 50 bodies, whilst a Ugandan government minister has put the death toll at over 100. The chairman of the eastern Bududa district suggested that the death toll could be as high as 300. Hundreds more people are missing and presumed dead, including up to 60 children who took refuge in a nearby health centre that was subsequently destroyed.

Effects

The landslide struck villages on the slopes of

Mount Elgon Mount Elgon is an extinct shield volcano on the border of Uganda and Kenya, north of Kisumu and west of Kitale. The mountain's highest point, named "Wagagai", is located entirely within Uganda.

, including Nameti, Kubewo, and Nankobe. with 85 homes being destroyed in Nameti. Many areas in the affected villages were buried by the landslides, with houses, markets, and a church destroyed; many roads were also blocked. Officials and aid workers have warned that there may be further landslides, as heavy rain continues to fall in the region. In Butaleja, over 6,000 homes from the sub-counties of Kachonga, Masimasa, Kimuntu and Nawangofu were affected by the rains, with two primary schools in Nabehere and Lubembe becoming flooded. The Mbale-Busolwa road was also closed due to flooding. The Red Cross expects further potential floods in the Moroto, Katakwi and Nakapiripirit districts of the country.

Emergency response

Tarsis Kabwegyere, a government minister, stated that a response team had been sent in to help with rescue efforts, whilst the Uganda Red Cross provided doctors. Michael Nataka, the Uganda Red Cross Secretary General, has also stated that the military has been called upon to aid in the rescue operation. Wanjusi Wasieba, a Bududa District Commissioner, said that the rescue effort was being hampered by the poor terrain of the region, which limits the ease of access for emergency vehicles. The Minister of Disaster Preparedness,

Musa Ecweru Musa Francis Ecweru (born 25 November 1964), is an accountant and politician in Uganda, the third-largest economy in the East African Community. He is the current Minister of State for Works and Transport (Works) in the Ugandan Cabinet where h ...

, has advised people living on affected mountain slopes to evacuate. Those living in lower-lying, flood-prone areas have also been advised to move to safer locations. Rescue workers had to use hand tools to dig through the mud to rescue survivors. The day following the landslide, soldiers and surviving villagers began rescue work. Military helicopters have begun ferrying survivors to an area 20 kilometres away.

Causes

The landslides followed a period of unusually heavy rain in the region, which is known for its coffee production. The region's climatic conditions normally create a dry period between the

wet season The wet season (sometimes called the Rainy season) is the time of year when most of a region's average annual rainfall occurs. It is the time of year where the majority of a country's or region's annual precipitation occurs. Generally, the se ...

s; however, parts of Uganda and neighbouring

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

had seen more rainfall than normal that year. Scientists have suggested that global climate change is affecting rainfall patterns in East Africa, with an increase in extreme and unexpected rainfall. Landslides are not uncommon in the region during the wet season, although the scale of this disaster has been described as more severe than even those.

Deforestation Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then land conversion, converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban area, urban ...

may have also played a role, said the Ugandan government. Dark green forest grows on the slope above the slide area. A strip of pale green land, free of settlements, separates the forest from the slide. This region had been deforested since 2007, according to the government analysis. On a steep slope, trees anchor the soil. Deforested mountains are very prone to landslides.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ugandan landslide 2010 landslide

Landslide Landslides, also known as landslips, are several forms of mass wasting that may include a wide range of ground movements, such as rockfalls, deep-seated slope failures, mudflows, and debris flows. Landslides occur in a variety of environments, ...

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

2010 disasters in Africa

Casualties

Effects

Emergency response

Causes

See also

References