The Uganda National Meteorological Authority (UNMA) has advised farmers and the general public to brave for the onset of the rainy season in the month of August.

This was contained in UNMA’s August 2024 rainfall outlook shared this Wednesday to the press.

UNMA – formerly the Department of Meteorology under the Ministry of Water and Environment – is a semi-autonomous government institution for weather and climate services.

The forecast for August 2024, reveals that enhanced rainfall is expected to continue over most parts of Northern (West-Nile, Acholi, Lango and Karamoja sub-regions) and Eastern Uganda (Mt. Elgon, Bukedi, and Teso sub regions).

In contrast, suppressed or low rainfall is expected to be experienced in most parts of Southwestern, Central and Western Uganda during the forecast period.

During the month of July 2024, enhanced rainfall was experienced in Eastern and Northern parts of Uganda, where Mt Elgon and Karamoja sub-regions recorded the highest amount of rainfall.

UNMA reports that the rest of the country recorded moderate (in Central) to suppressed rainfall (in South-western).

The Southwestern region covers the districts of Kigezi sub-region, including Kisoro.

The outlook, signed by Dr. Bob Alex Ogwang, the Ag Executive Director, provides the following advisories to farmers and the general public;

• Soil and water conservation practices (waterways, trenches, stone bands, contour trenches, diversion channels, grass bands) should be established to minimize the impact of floods and water logging.
• Early/timely weeding to address the rampant growth of weeds such as nut grass, spear grass, wandering Jews, and coach grass which increases the cost of production.
• Stocking of pesticides due to expected increase in pests and disease incidence (bacterial for vegetables and fungal for cereals and vegetables).
• Communities are advised to use safe water to reduce the risk of drinking contaminated water.
• Sensitize and encourage communities to plant trees for firewood and use of energy saving stoves.
• Advocate for fertilizer use to enhance soil fertility due to the likelihood of soil erosion in several districts, leading to increased leaching of soil nutrients especially in the lowlands
• Relocating kraals to raised and fresh grounds to manage foot rot due to the wet and muddy conditions
• Local authorities especially in urban areas are encouraged to clear off clogged water pathways or open up drainage channels to avoid truncation of the roads by turbulent water overflows and over-flooded transport routes.
• Water harvesting should be encouraged to improve water availability especially during dry spells.
• Since there is a high risk of violent winds and lightning, the public is encouraged to take precautionary measures, such as avoiding open places when it is raining, installing lightning arresters, reinforcing buildings.
• Monitor the malaria prevalence and repositioning stocks of drugs and routine distribution of long-lasting insecticide treated mosquito nets.