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Uganda: NEMA Begins Marking City Wetland Borders
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New Vision (Kampala)
26 March 2008
Posted to the web 27 March 2008
Gerald Tenywa
Kampala
THE National Environment Management Authority has begun demarcating the boundary of Kinawataka wetland, to pave way for the eviction of encroachers.
"We decided to proceed with marking the borders of the wetland today (yesterday)," said Fred Kiwazi, the regional coordinator of wetlands.
"It is an operation that could take us some days."
He added that they were following the ecological border of the wetland, which could be traced by clay, water and vegetation, the features that, according to residents, give the wetland its character.
The village leaders joined the environment body experts and others from the wetlands management department as they undertook the demarcation exercise.
The experts were armed with a global positioning system, which uses a satellite to mark the boundaries of wetlands on a map. Anxious residents stood by their shacks waiting for the NEMA team to decide their fate.
A few days ago, the local council leaders had declined to cooperate but the environment watchdog met and sensitised them on the importance of establishing the wetland boundaries.
Two weeks ago, the environment authority unsuccessfully attempted to evict encroachers from Kinawataka swamp.
The local leaders and the Nakawa deputy resident district commissioner, Fred Bamwine, insisted on establishing the borders before effecting the evictions.
First to be evicted would be the car washers and the exercise would then spread to the rest of the swamp and others in Kitintale (Nakivubo wetland) and Lubigi in Nateete.
But the car washers insisted that the industries located upstream were built in a reclaimed swamp and were also releasing effluent into the swamp.
The environment authority agreed to help find another area outside the swamp for the youthful car washers and protect them from pollution.
The NEMA executive director, Aryamanya Mugisha, said there was no turning back because the city wetland encroachers had been warned on the evictions and border marking.
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"It is important to work with the people because I did not know there were veterans in that area," he said. "We do not expect any resistance from them because they know what we are doing."
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