KIREHE–The district agricultural officer of Kirehe has blamed climate change for the unprecedented torrential rains that have caused severe flooding in the region.Speaking to The New Times, Nathalie Niyonagira said the damage to rice plantations has caused heavy losses to farmers.At least 50 hectares of rice fields in Kirehe District, have been destroyed by the floods caused by heavy rains.She said that some rice fields are destroyed every year, adding that the number of hectares affected has been rising over the last two years, mainly because of climate change."We have been assessing the damage caused by floods...the rain fell for over 20 hours leaving several hectares flooded with water,’ he said. "We cannot predict the weather anymore,” she said. "Over the last two years, there has been much more rain than usual, causing more extensive damage to rice and other food crops.”Niyonagira however, said that although rice output is likely to drop by several tons because of the flooding, it is not expected to have a big impact and Kirehe expects to meet its rice production targets.Alex Kanamugire a rice grower in the district said that the affected farmers would need assistance.He said that apart from crops, several houses were also destroyed by the heavy rains."The losses after the floods are vivid...the main problem is that rice growing is more commercial than any other crop. So, any loss is highly felt by farmers...we will need support to meet the necessary input next season,” he said.Meanwhile, a herd of elephants went on rampage in Nyagatare district, and destroyed an estimated three hectares of crops.The mayor of the district Fred Atuhe Sabiti said that the hippos attacked the crops at night when everyone was asleep.He said that crops grown along River Muvumba were vulnerable to attacks from the animals."We have been battling with hippos...the fields are just along the river bank... it is thus tricky to manage the animal attacks. We however, have a number of alternative solutions on the table,” he said.