Wakiso leaders to cancel 300 titles in wetlands

Some of the encroachers vacate Lubigi wetland during a joint operation by Nema and Wakiso District in June this year. PHOTO BY JOSEPH KIGGUNDU

What you need to know:

  • Loophole. Authorities note that locals take advantage of late hours and public holidays when law enforcers are not in office to encroach on wetlands, writes Joseph Kiggundu

Authorities in Wakiso District have resolved to cancel about 300 land titles held by encroachers who reclaimed about nine per cent of wetlands in the district.
The encroachment occurred hardly two years after the degraded wetlands had been restored.

“After many consultative meetings with Nema (National Environment Management Authority) and Ministry of Lands, we have agreed to cancel about 200 to 300 land titles which were issued out to different wetland encroachers illegally. We shall begin the [eviction] process very soon,” Mr Esau Mpoza, the district environment officer, told Daily Monitor in an interview on November 9.
Mr Mpoza said the encroachers take advantage of late night hours, weekends and public holidays when environmental law enforcers are not in office to carry out their activities.

He said the district has more than 200 wetlands in three categories; primary wetlands, secondary and tertiary wetlands.
Mr Mpoza noted that before the encroachment, the affected wetlands were intact filters of water drifting through thick reeds and papyrus to Mayanja and Lubigi wetlands that drain into Lake Victoria and Lake Kyoga.

“Today, we are only seeing small portions of papyrus still standing and the bigger area has either been replaced by gardens or brick makers. This is a terrible trend and signals danger ahead,” he said.
Mr Mpoza also said the district, working with Nema and environment protection police, have evicted more than 3,000 families in the last 10 years from Lubigi and Mayanja.

Other evictions include taxi parks and factories which do not have environmental impact assessment certificates.
However, Mr Mpoza expressed concern about the limited budget to the environment office.
“Each financial year, the district receives about Shs50 million yet they would like it to be increased to Shs100m so that about Shs25m is used each quarter to fight encroachers on wetlands,” the district environment officer said.
Ms Stella Nalumansi, the district wetlands officer, said other affected wetlands are Bulenga, Kabojja, Kasegenje, Kansagombe and Kalidubi.

Warning issued
Ms Nalumansi urged encroachers to vacate the wetlands or face arrest and risk losing their property during demolition.
She also warned farmers against encroaching on the swamps.
“Part of Lubigi has been encroached on by farmers who have planted bananas, eucalyptus and sugarcane, but we have already engaged the police and all these plantations are going to be removed to restore our wetlands,” Ms Nalumansi said.
Wetlands are protected under clauses 37 and 38 of the National Environment Act of 1995.
Without a written approval from Nema, its an offence to reclaim or drain a wetland, erect, construct a structure that is fixed in or over any wetland.

By the time Uganda attained her independence, the country had wetlands measuring a total of 32,000 square kilometres, but by 1999, wetlands had decreased to 30,000 square kilometres.
Wetlands filter water from pollutants, their vegetation is used to make crafts. They are also a habitant for birds and reptiles and are a tourist attraction.

FACTS ABOUT WETLANDS
What is a wetland? Wetlands, commonly known as swamps in Uganda, are a resource of considerable importance, just like forests, rangelands, arable land, and open water resources. A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is inundated by water, either permanently or seasonally, where oxygen-free processes prevail.

Demarcating wetlands: In 2017, Nema developed a national wetlands atlas that demarcates all wetlands, wetland systems, and catchment areas in the country. The primary department in charge of wetlands of the Directorate of Water Resources Management in the Ministry of Water and Environment. Research and mapping of the wetland atlas was carried out by the Ministry of Water and Environment, the United Nations Environmental Programme and the United Nations Development Programme.

Distance: The atlas is not specific on the distance upon which development can occur from a wetland. But specifies that for cultivation of crops, it must occur 30 metres from the shores of a lake and maybe less for river banks. The atlas also says fish processing plants can be located on the shores. And depending on the character of the lake or river, construction of a house should be anywhere between more than 10 metres to 100 metres. The 1995 National Wetland Policy, however, says the local authorities will exercise reasonable discretion on the exact area of wetlands to be developed in accordance with the National Wetlands Policy and other policies on the environment.
Nema hotline: Report any environmental matter on 0414251064/8