Over 3,000 Ugandans drown annually

By Stephen Otage

The Ministry of Works and Transport says an average of 3,000 Ugandans drown in lakes, rivers, and other water bodies every year but the cases are not reported due to the remoteness of places where they happen.

Speaking at the first meeting of the technical session of the aeronautical and maritime rescue committee, Benon Kajuna Mwebaze the director of transport at the Ministry of Works and Transport said the unreported marine accidents have forced the ministry and Civil Aviation Authority to come up with the national aeronautical and maritime search and rescue plan.

He explained that at 3,000 deaths on Ugandan water bodies annually, they come second to road accidents where 4,500 deaths were reported last year.

Works and Transport Minister who was represented by Works permanent secretary, Waiswa Bageya said because of the water accidents, government was forced to implement the search and rescue system in Uganda and set up search and rescue centres and nine weather meteorological stations around the country to monitor marine accidents.

The technical committee of the aeronautical and maritime search and rescue coordination committee was inaugurated on June 16, 2022.

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