ASSESSING THE COMMUNITY PREPAREDNESS AND INVOLVEMENT TOWARDS FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT IN MUBUKU IRRIGATION SCHEME, KASESE DISTRICT, UGANDA

Abstract

This research clearly assessed the preparedness and involvement levels of Mubuku community members towards flood risk management in the irrigation scheme of Kasese District, Uganda. The recent massive loss of lives and property, including crops and most farm animals in the area triggered the researcher’s attention to investigate the community preparedness levels and involvement in flood mitigation with the aim of reducing flood fatalities and massive property destruction. This research described major flood types affecting the community of Mubuku to clearly engage the members in handling with floods based on their suggestions and recommendations for flood control and mitigation measures. Data collection and analysis of both qualitative and quantitative techniques was performed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). A field questionnaire survey with the sampling of 70 respondents across four villages, i.e., Mubuku, Rukonki, Bwizibweera, and Kigoro, was carried out to gather people’s opinions and more information regarding the topics related to driving factors of floods, flood occurrences, including control and mitigation of flood impacts to the people of Mubuku community and their property. The study answered multiple correlation results between flood mitigation, and involvement and preparedness with gender, age, occupation, and level of education. However, the results showed no significant correlation amongst the abovementioned variables. Based on a Likert scale of questionnaire, the findings revealed that community members are willing and strongly interested in attending mitigation meetings; they strongly agree that they possess knowledge about flood mitigation and are doing everything possible using traditional means to control and mitigate flood impacts in Kasese. They further strongly agree that all people, irrespective of gender, occupation or education level, are involved in flood mitigation across the sampled sub-counties. Since most traditional methods in flood mitigation seem to be the only ones used in the district, the area needs much more modern expertise and funding from subcounty departments of natural disaster management and control. Finally, the introduction and knowledge sharing related to new methods for flood mitigation like construction of dykes and levees along the Mubuku River would strongly be needed due to the fact that natural/planted trees cannot be in charge for this particular purpose.