GENERATE

Life in a Flood Zone: Kampala’s Nakivubo Channel

Photographer: Jim Joel Nyakaana
Photographs by Jim Joel Nyakanaa

Flooding is the greatest climate risk facing Uganda.

At least 50,000 people are directly impacted by flooding every year – the aftermath of which includes displacement, destruction of property, endangered economic activity, poor physical and mental health, and loss of life. Erratic rainfall and its consequences have significant implications for the people and built environments of the country’s low-lying capital, Kampala, much of which was built on former wetlands at the base of the city’s seven hills.

The photo project features Nakivubo Channel, a tributary channel and adjacent streets, the only drainage channel to run through the city’s central business areas, which is badly in need of improvement and expansion. During prolonged heavy rainfall, the Channel floods, hitting Kampala’s already marginalised urban residents hardest. During dry periods however the channel takes on different meanings and purposes, existing as a piece of transitory urban infrastructure which people can use to engage in informal economic jobs and traverse the city.

Kampala looks and feels very different in the aftermath of heavy rains. The project displays the Channel at different points of the year, including flooding after heavy rainfall in September 2021, the hot and dry month of January 2022, and the beginning of the rainy season in February 2022, in advance of expected heavier rainfall in March. The project explores environmental injustices, the negotiation of rapidly shifting urban space, and the different ways in which people use, and adapt, their everyday lives in response to the ongoing global climate emergency and its consequences.

Photographer: Jim Joel NyakaanaThe picture was taken in September 2021 in the north of Kampala. Local residents attribute flooding to the construction of a new mall on Gayaza Road and the new city bypass, as well as increased periods of heavy rainfall and its impact on the city’s drainage.
The picture was taken in September 2021 in the north of Kampala. Local residents attribute flooding to the construction of a new mall on Gayaza Road and the new city bypass, as well as increased periods of heavy rainfall and its impact on the city’s drainage.
The picture is taken in February 2022 during the dry season, showing a marked difference to only a few months before.
The picture is taken in February 2022 during the dry season, showing a marked difference to only a few months before.

 

Workers utilise Nakivubo Channel to clean car tires.
Workers utilise Nakivubo Channel to clean car tires.
After a short period of rain, the channel is turned into a fast moving river.
After a short period of rain, the channel is turned into a fast moving river.
A man uses water from the Channel to clean shoes, while another cleans tires, and the city passes in the background.
A man uses water from the Channel to clean shoes, while another cleans tires, and the city passes in the background.
A woman cleans and dries clothes on the edge of the Channel.
A woman cleans and dries clothes on the edge of the Channel.
A group of men chat while cleaning and arranging items for sale.
A group of men chat while cleaning and arranging items for sale.
A bridge over Nakivubo Channel at Kyagwe Road. A series of freshly cleaned shoes are displayed for sale along one of the few barriers protecting pedestrians from falling into the Channel.
A bridge over Nakivubo Channel at Kyagwe Road. A series of freshly cleaned shoes are displayed for sale along one of the few barriers protecting pedestrians from falling into the Channel.
During dry periods urban residents utilise the Channel to traverse the city quickly, and some hide under the bridges to escape the sun.
During dry periods urban residents utilise the Channel to traverse the city quickly, and some hide under the bridges to escape the sun.
A man in a red hat walks along the Channel. After a short period of rain, the water level has visibly risen and the water is moving rapidly.
A man in a red hat walks along the Channel. After a short period of rain, the water level has visibly risen and the water is moving rapidly.
Flooding plays havoc with Kampala’s public transport and causes costs of boda boda’s (motorcycle taxis) to rise.
Flooding plays havoc with Kampala’s public transport and causes costs of boda boda’s (motorcycle taxis) to rise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Published by GENERATE Team

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