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Fort Portal City leaders decry wetland degradation
Matooke vendors navigate through flood waters along Fort Portal-Kijura road in Fort Portal City recently. This was after River Mpanga burst its banks. PHOTO | ALEX ASHABA
What you need to know:
- The leaders also highlight challenges in implementing President Museveni's directive to halt wetland degradation due to the absence of an inventory of all existing wetlands in the city, allowing encroachers to continue their activities unchecked.
Fort Portal City leaders attribute the ongoing degradation of wetlands and river banks in the area to the government's failure to gazette them, hindering their ability to enforce measures against encroachment.
The leaders also highlight challenges in implementing President Museveni's directive to halt wetland degradation due to the absence of an inventory of all existing wetlands in the city, allowing encroachers to continue their activities unchecked.
Mr Joseph Kiiza Mashuhoko, the Mayor of Fort Portal City North Division said: "Our wetlands in both North and Central Division of Fort Portal City are not gazetted, and that is why people have continued to build in wetlands and encroach on river banks. Our technical personnel have continued to approve building plans in wetlands, contrary to the presidential directive.”
Mr Peter Kusemerwa, the Town Clerk of Fort Portal City North Division, echoed similar concerns regarding the challenges faced in enforcing laws to prevent wetland degradation.
"Someone in wetlands challenges you when you take them to court because, you don’t have the evidence to show it is the wetland yet it’s not gazette," he said.
Mr Kusemerwa also highlighted the need for proactive measures, asserting that the city must ensure wetlands are gazetted.
Fort Portal's Deputy Resident City Commissioner, Mr Emmanuel Businge, acknowledged the persistence of challenges despite the presidential directive to halt wetland degradation saying some responsible officers are failing to fulfill their duties.
To rehabilitate the degraded wetlands and river banks in Fort Portal City, local leaders, in collaboration with development partner Join For Water with funding support of U$ 777,000, approximately Shs 2.8 billion from Conrad Hilton Foundation, launched a comprehensive plan on Wednesday geared towards restoring some of the degraded wetlands in the city.
This three-year project, slated to run until 2026, aims to build resilient communities and wetland ecosystems by promoting catchment-based, equitable, and sustainable water resource management in Fort Portal City will be implemented by two partners of the Natural Resource Defence Initiative and the Kyaninga Forest Foundation.
Mr Isaiah Ndungo, the Country Coordinator of Join For Water, outlined the objectives of the initiative, that the implementing partners will develop a comprehensive inventory of all wetlands in Fort Portal City along with an action plan, restoration of six degraded wetlands, and provide water access to 600 households.
"We want to protect, conserve, and restore degraded wetlands and riverbanks in Fort Portal because many of the wetlands are diminishing in size due to encroachment caused by increased human activities such as farming and sand mining," Mr Ndungo emphasized.
