Disaster management is the systematic creation and implementation of strategies, practices, and policies to reduce disaster risks and vulnerabilities in order to mitigate the negative consequences of disasters on lives and the socioeconomic development of a country. Uganda is vulnerable to a wide range of calamities, which impair its people's productive ability, destroy resources and infrastructure, divert intended limited resources, and impede development progress. This has driven the country to develop and promote a disaster preparedness and management system in order to protect itself from risks and ensure residents' continuous productive potential. This system aims at complementing the macro as well as sectorial policies the government is currently pursuing. It considers the current economic situation in the nation and uses methodical, complex approach that will ensure the incorporated social and natural aspects are used in projecting as well as making decisions. This system’s main thrust is to provide disaster management plays a vital role in the development of the country. It takes into account the enormous influence human activities have on the correlations in the ambient environment and the impact of urbanization, resource exploitation, technological advancement, and rapid population growth. This paper describes the rationale and history behind Uganda’s organizational approach to disaster management, the model of implementation applied, disaster hazards and planning, participants in the catastrophe managing, potential obstacles to disaster management, and how calamities have influenced disaster management planning and policy in Uganda nowadays.
The Rationale and History behind Uganda’s Organizational Approach to Disaster Management
Uganda experienced several natural as well as human-triggered disasters, which have caused the loss of numerous lives and property. That has necessitated the establishment of machinery to prevent the occurrence of and deal with disasters (Kakembo, 2013). Given that it has limited resources, there have been little technical and administrative measures useful for disaster preparedness as well as management. For a long time, it has lacked storage of essential information on the occurrence of calamities and the impact on the population. Due to weak enforcement of laws on risk avoidance and mitigation, the impact of disasters has aggravated. Therefore, the government has made an institutional framework that is focused on creating and establishing efficient, utilitarian mechanisms to integrate disaster preparedness plus management into government’s planning for socio-economic development. This organizational approach to disaster management is geared towards putting into place methodical disaster preparedness, prevention, management, and mitigation framework for the entire nation. This method focuses on ensuring that the government, local governments, NGOs, institutions, and the population work together to manage disasters in the country. It ensures there are mechanisms that monitor, assess, and report risk levels as well as actions being taken to mitigate calamities. Lead institutions hold quarterly consultative meetings with other stakeholders involved in disaster management and periodically send reports to the Permanent Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office. These reports highlight risk status and measures put in place by different stakeholders to handle disasters (Kabwegyere, 2010).
The Pattern of Implementation Applied
The model of implementation of Uganda’s disaster management program is top-down, since the national government triggers recovery actions. It is a multidisciplinary and multi-sectorial program that includes all ministries of the government in liaison with humanitarian organizations, local authorities, the private section, and local communities. The Ministry of Relief, Disaster Preparedness, and Refugees (under the Prime Minister’s Office) is the lead institution in this program. It coordinates all the other groups and establishes mechanisms necessary to monitor, evaluate, and report risk levels. It organizes meetings with the other groups on a quarterly basis and prepares reports that highlight the risk status as well as the actions each group undertakes. It also consults the other groups when there is need to co-opt other participants in the program. This program is a shared responsibility among many stakeholders (Kabwegyere, 2010).
The national government sets aside funds annually for the implementation of the National Disaster Preparedness and Management Plan under the National Disaster Preparedness and Management Fund. The Ministry of Relief, Disaster Preparedness, and Refugees is in charge of administering the fund according to the current financial regulations and policies. It makes guidance for the implementation of support of this program too. Local authorities also make by-laws to aid the realization of this program’s provisions. The legislative arm of the government provides incentive fees encouraging the government agencies and other stakeholders to abide by the rules pertaining preparation, review, and implementation of disaster management plans. It also creates laws that encourage the various stakeholders to respond to the requests made by the Center for Information and makes provisions for suitable penalties in the event non-compliance or failure to undertake various actions (Kabwegyere, 2010).
Disaster Hazards and Planning
A disaster refers to an event that adversely disrupts the functioning of a community leading to widespread environmental, material, human, and economic losses, which surpass the capacity of the affected community to muddle through the situation using its resources. Disasters in Uganda have been categorized as either natural or human triggered. The most common ones include earthquakes, floods, drought and famine, conflicts, accidents, crop pest infestation, epidemics, and landslides (Mayega, Wafula, Musenero, Omale, Kiguli, Orach, & Bazeyo, 2013). Due to prolonged water shortage as a result of dry weather conditions in parts that receive less rainfall, the country has been prone to droughts. That has led to food shortages and starvation, which subjects millions of citizens to hunger and loss of lives and livestock. During periods of heavy rainfall, several parts of the country are adversely affected by floods, which destroy property, wash away crops, submerge human settlements, and trigger outbreaks of diseases that are water-born (Oketch, 2013). Heavy rainfalls also cause a significant amount of water to flow through cracks on the ground; thus, triggering mudslides and landslides (rapid movement of large masses of rocks, mud, and loose soil). Though earthquakes have not been very common in this country, studies indicate that the central and western parts of the nation are seismically vulnerable. The biggest earthquake ever witnessed in Uganda took part in Fort Portal, south-western part of the country in 1966, and killed over 100 people (IFRC, 2012).
Most Ugandans are commonly affected by the prevalence of diseases such as meningitis, cholera, sleeping sickness, plague, diarrhea, typhoid, Ebola, and hepatitis. Some of these diseases result from global warming, floods, uncontainable movement of livestock, strong tropical winds, and laboratory accidents. Livestock and crop epidemics have been common in some regions too. Human triggered disasters are also common in Uganda – for example, transport related accidents. This country experiences frequent fatal and hazardous road accidents, which claim the lives of many people and destroy property. Fatal accidents related to water transport have also been rampant – for example, many boats capsize in various lakes and rivers annually killing many persons. The number of people attacked by crocodiles and hippos has been rising too. Uganda has also been experiencing increasing cases of fire hazards in places like marketplaces, learning institutions, congested human settlements, and industries. The primary factors that cause fire hazards include arson attacks, haphazard electrical wiring, uncontrolled burning of bushes, and explosion of highly flammable materials. Another type of disaster that has adversely affected the citizens of this country is internal conflicts. Such conflicts are usually intercommunal and result in massive destruction of property, loss of lives, and displacement of thousands of people (Oketch, 2013).
The government has planned management for most of these disasters. The plans it has formulated for drought and famine include establishing mechanisms that enable weather prediction, give early warnings, and dissemination of information on drought. It has formulated environmental laws, integrated environmental conservation in its development planning, mapped and zoned drought-prone regions, strengthened research institutions to come up with drought-resistant crops, prioritized programs for water production and small-scale irrigation, and mechanized agriculture. It has initiated various programs useful to handle famine in the country – for example, establishment of grain stores, increasing food production, streamlining land tenure systems, promotion of modern farming methods, and implementation of policies on food security. The plans for floods mitigation include protection and restoration of wetlands, enforcement of river bank management policies, creating awareness of measures of floods reduction, and ensuring urban and rural settlements are planned properly. Policy actions put in place to mitigate mudslides and landslides include Gazette of areas prone to them, forbidding inhabitation of high-risk areas, promoting afforestation, enforcing relevant policies and laws, and encouraging the application of appropriate land use practices and farming technologies (Kabwegyere, 2010).
Plans to handle epidemics include improving hygiene and sanitation practices, promoting research in contemporary emergent diseases, ensuring immunization and vaccination of people living in areas prone to outbreaks, making sure healthcare facilities have adequate, qualified personnel. These also include strengthening disease surveillance and entomological services. The plans that the government has initiated to handle accidents include enforcement of road traffic laws, improving the quality of roads, educating road users on safe road usage, and creating more entry, as well as exit routes for urban centers. It is working to make sure that monitoring of water transport systems is intensified. Plans initiated to mitigate fire calamities include installation of fire extinguishers in many places, taking action against those found burning bushes, inspection of electrical installations, equipping firefighting institutions, and conducting frequent fire drills in various institutions and public places. These plans also include sensitizing the dwellers on the causes of fire hazards and preventive actions, and establishing fire facilities in different regions to handle the challenges arising in various places. The government has come up with plans, such as maintenance of good governance practices and principles, development of mechanisms that promote conflicts resolution and peace building, and development of systems that give early warnings on conflicts to address disaster created by internal conflicts. Other plans include strengthening community policing, carrying out disarmament programs as well as the destruction of illegal weapons, controlling the proliferation and movement of small arms, and implementation of the Kampala Convention of internally displaced persons (IDPs) (Kabwegyere, 2010).
Participants in Uganda’s Disaster Management
There are several stakeholders in Uganda’s disaster management – government ministries, agencies, local authorities, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), international organizations, research institutions, civil societies, and the community. Some of the government agencies include the National Forest Authority, Uganda Wildlife Authority, National Environmental Management Authority, and Department of Meteorology. Some of the ministries taking part in this program include the Ministry of Relief, Disaster Preparedness, and Refugees, Ministry of Local Government, Ministry of Water and Environment, Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries, and Office of the Prime Minister. The NGOs include the United Nations (UN), African Union (AU), World Food Program, World Vision, Uganda Red Cross, and Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) (IFRC, 2012).
Potential Obstacles to Effective Disaster Management
Uganda has been facing several barriers to effective disaster management. Its climate is so unpredictable that it can be extremely challenging to predict when and where disasters will strike. That makes it hard to respond to tragedies appropriately. The government’s response to disasters is still very inadequate due to lack of coordination among various government ministries, NGOs, and the private sector; therefore, the victims of disasters in certain areas are likely to receive relief aid late, and evacuation processes might be slow and disorganized. The number of calamities striking Uganda annually is so big that the national government and international organizations might be overwhelmed; thus, they may often fail to offer adequate assistance and complete planned relief operations. That is also likely to be worsened by goals that are not defined well. The occurrence of multiple disasters simultaneously may also hinder effective disaster management (IFRC, 2012).
How Disasters Have Shaped Disaster Management Planning and Policy in Uganda
Due to the prevalence of various forms of catastrophes in Uganda, uncoordinated responses, and lack of preparedness for many years, a Constitution that addresses the issue of disaster preparedness and management was passed. The disasters have led to the persistent loss of lives and interference with economic activities, thus slowing economic growth. The Constitution required the Ministry of Relief, Disaster Preparedness, and Refugees to come up with a clear program to create a campaign, which specifies structures and mechanisms for practical and efficient managing of calamities. This system includes vulnerability evaluation, mitigation, readiness, reaction, and recovery. These subjects constitute a comprehensive disaster management system. This policy networks government ministries, NGOs, government agencies, local governments, and the community following the principle of a universal effective concept. It also outlines an organizational structure that enables coordination among these stakeholders and allows them to operate efficiently.
Conclusion
Different kinds of disasters have hit Uganda hardly for many years resulting in loss of lives, property destruction, and disruption of economic activities. Consequently, socio-economic development has been slow. For a long time it has lacked a coordinated processes when disasters strike, and its level of preparedness has been weak; therefore, the impact of disasters has been adverse. That made it come up with a comprehensive disaster preparedness and management policy, which brings together several stakeholders to improve its level of readiness and enhance its response to disasters. However, there are still many obstacles to an effective disaster management – for instance, poor coordination among various government institutions, inadequate response, inconsistent weather conditions, and occurrence of multiple calamities concurrently.
References
IFRC. (2012). International Disaster Response Law (IDRL) in Uganda. Geneva: International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
Kabwegyere, T. (2010). The National Policy for Disaster Preparedness and Management. Kampala: Office of the Prime Minister, Uganda.
Kakembo, T. (2013, October 18). Uganda Launches Policy on Disaster Management. Retrieved from New Vision: http://www.newvision.co.ug/new_vision/news/1333695/uganda-launches-policy-disaster-management
Mayega, R. W., Wafula, M. R., Musenero, M., Omale, A., Kiguli, J., Orach, G. C., & Bazeyo, W. (2013). A situational analysis of priority disaster hazards in Uganda: findings from a hazard and vulnerability analysis. East African Journal of Public Health, 380-386.
Oketch, M. L. (2013, September 13). 200,000 Ugandans affected by disasters annually - World Bank. Retrieved from Daily Monitor: http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/200-000-Ugandans-affected-by-disasters-annually/688334-1990466-ghfaasz/index.html
