Water has submerged most of the pans in the salt lake
The prolonged rainy season has dealt a blow to Salt Mining in Kasese district.
The rains are expected to see a fall of 30-50 percent in production as the salt-making season has reduced for the last six months.
Jimmy Agaba, a salt miner says that water levels have increased from between three and five feet to between six and seven feet. He noted that salt extraction involves standing waist or chest-deep in water for several hours and since the water volumes increased, the process has become difficult.
Godfrey Agaba, who has been in the salt extraction business since 1995 years, says that the rains have raised the water levels, damaged the saltpans packed salt, and increased the costs of pumping out water.
Peter Businge, says every week he would get between 100,000 and 150,000 Shillings as profits but he has now opted for Boda Boda business to survive.
He says, more than half of the miners have left the business and ventured into other petty works to fend for their families.
Michael Ngonzi says that all women who have been in the extraction business have left the lake because they cannot deal with the raised waters.
Bakari Sebowa who owns salt pans says he invested more than four million shillings from a loan he acquired but has little hope of recovering even half of this money after all the pans were submerged.
Nicholas Kagongo, the Director Katwe Tourism Information Centre, says the absence of active salt business has equally affected the tourism business around the area with daily numbers reducing from over 2,000 to between five and 50 per day.
He adds that last month there were landslides at the lake which damaged the pans and attributes it to human activities including cultivation on the steep slopes surrounding the lake.
John Bosco Kananura, the LCIII Chairperson Katwe-Kabatoro Town Council says, the estimates for this financial year of 696 million shillings are now expected to be less than 300 million shillings and this will affect service delivery.
He adds that there is a need for government to consider giving relief to more than 100 persons who entirely depend on the lake for a living.
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