By Ebenezer T. Bifubyeka,Mbarara, Western Uganda.
POPULATION growth coupled with improving standard of living has increased the demand for buildings thus boosting brick-laying business at the expense of wetlands.
Wetlands occupy 29,000 square kilometres, which is 13% of Uganda’s total land area of 241,548 square kilometres. This small portion of wetlands is further declining and disappearance is fueled by the escalating demand for bricks for construction.
Taking a case study of Biharwe sub-county, Kashari in Mbarara district, brick-layers have displaced seasonal swamps with dams, whose muddy and cream-like water dry up later due to lack of water supply. The dams look like fishponds from a distance.
Biharwe lies within the Rwendama wetland system that stretches from Rubaya through Biharwe and Kyahi forestry reserve and discharges to River Rwizi, a tributary of River Kagera that discharges to Lake Victoria.
The area’s LCIII chairperson, Stephen Muganga says the area has run dry; too dry to the extent that any water reservoir like a dam dug in Biharwe town board dries within months! He says; walls of latrine-pits excavated in the area collapse within a few months!
“The rich residents have opted to cementing the walls of their pit-latrines; but the poor ones just see their latrines helplessly collapse soon after constructing them,” he says, adding that others are resorting to using Ecosan toilets.
Mbarara district production and marketing officer, Beatrice Byarugaba says that besides the bare hills, whose tree cover has fallen victim of firewood for burning the bricks in a brick-kiln, wetlands continue to decline on the national scene.
She says that brick-layers should have a license for exploiting the wetlands. “Besides, any wetland developer should refill the pits dug in the process of excavating clay for making bricks. Such pits are dangerous to both animals and humans. Those pits also act as bleeding grounds for mosquitoes that transmit malaria,” she says.
Byarugaba, who is also Mbarara district agriculture officer, says; “The environmental officers should always ensure that the brick-layers and other wetland users have certificates allowing them to carry out activities in the wetlands.”
“Any developers using fragile eco-systems (wetlands) and road users should rehabilitate the portions they excavate by replanting grass and trees there. The environmental officers should always inspect such projects to ensure that those areas are replenished,’ she says.
The western site manager for Wetlands sector strategic plan-support project (WSSPP) under the ministry of water and development, Bernard M. Arinaitwe says brick-layers shouldn’t operate in wetlands without carrying out an environmental impact assessment.
He says politician bar their efforts to ensure sustainable use of wetlands. “Our politicians have let us down in Biharwe and around River Rwizi line in Nyamitanga. When we try to talk about the wetland encroachers there, they say, those are their voters!” he says.
Arinaitwe says wetlands are also disappearing in Nyeihanga in Rwampara county, yet wetlands are a capital resource since they are the source of water and rain.
He adds, “Brick-laying is destroying wetlands to the point of extinction. And brick-laying benefits the few at the expense of the general public that benefits domestic water and rainwater - partially formed by the wetlands.”
Arinaitwe says that WSSPP formulated an inter-district technical committee on July 24th with an aim of conserving River Rwizi and its tributaries. The committee is comprised of stakeholders from the districts of Mbarara, Kiruhura, Bushenyi, Ntungamo and Ibanda.
He says the inter-district technical committee headed by the chief administrative officer for Kiruhura district, William Kanyesigye as the chairperson, aims at ensuring that government regulates the developers and cultivators around the river banks and wetlands.
“The government policy of reserving 100 metres away from the riverbanks and lakes should be implemented. We want to draft wetland law. We can no longer underestimate the importance of wetlands,” Arinaitwe says.
He says the five districts under this inter-district committee will implement River Rwizi wetland system framework plan.
The chairperson for this inter-district committee, William Kanyesigye says there is need for decision-making among the stakeholders for they want to see work being done. He adds that they will start coordinating the districts’ activities in wetland management.
“We are now mainstreaming the environmental issues in district development plan. We are incorporating each district in the protection of wetlands and River Rwizi to avoid duplication of activities,” he says.
He says the wetlands have not been seen as of big importance in the last 20 years. And this explains why they are not part of the land law.
“Those who got land titles in wetlands before 1995 are entitled to their lands but those who got the land titles in wetlands after 1995 – ‘bought air’ and should vacate,” he warns.
The western regional awareness officer for National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA), Jeconious Musingwire says degradation of the wetlands especially marshes is exacerbated by a myth that they are sources malaria and bilharzia.
“People therefore destroy wetlands, considering them useless - apart from providing a few fish such as lung fish, Protopterus species, catfish, Clarias species, and providing materials for thatching and handcraft besides the bricks or matafaari,” he says.
He says the wetland resource is under considerable pressure that has left many of them drained. The increasing population is also imposing a heavy strain on the environment like encroachment on forest resources, game reserves and swamp reclamation
“Perhaps the government should promote the building blocks made out of cement and sand (non-clay bricks). This will reduce on the rate of deforestation, which is associated with the cutting of trees for burning the bricks,” he suggests.
Musingwire, who is also Mbarara district natural resource officer, says the dominant plants in these wetlands being lost through brick-laying and sand mining include: papyrus, acacia, phoenix, phraganites, cyprerus and sorghastrium species.
Our ancestors used wetland edges to produce millet, sweet potatoes and other crops. But comtemporally farmers in villages view wetlands as fertile lands for agriculture while town-dwellers view them as opportunities for development!
He says the highest degradation of wetlands for brick-laying is at Ruti, Nyamitanga division in Mbarara municipality. He says the demand for bricks has shifted from the banks of River Rwizi to its tributaries.
Wetlands play a vital role in groundwater regulation, he says, and encroachers are breaking the law. According to section 99 of National Environmental Act, Chapter 153 of 1995, the encroachers of wetlands are liable to a fine ranging from sh108,000 to sh18m.
“Wetlands are not wastelands, and the encroachers are therefore liable to imprisonment not exceeding 18 months or both – the cash fine and imprisonment,” Musingwire says.
He says the National Environmental (wetlands, riverbanks and lake shores management) Regulations, 2000 should be used to guide the public about proper management and rational utilisation of wetlands; short of this, we are doomed!
· Ends.
Word count: 1,122.
POPULATION growth coupled with improving standard of living has increased the demand for buildings thus boosting brick-laying business at the expense of wetlands.
Wetlands occupy 29,000 square kilometres, which is 13% of Uganda’s total land area of 241,548 square kilometres. This small portion of wetlands is further declining and disappearance is fueled by the escalating demand for bricks for construction.
Taking a case study of Biharwe sub-county, Kashari in Mbarara district, brick-layers have displaced seasonal swamps with dams, whose muddy and cream-like water dry up later due to lack of water supply. The dams look like fishponds from a distance.
Biharwe lies within the Rwendama wetland system that stretches from Rubaya through Biharwe and Kyahi forestry reserve and discharges to River Rwizi, a tributary of River Kagera that discharges to Lake Victoria.
The area’s LCIII chairperson, Stephen Muganga says the area has run dry; too dry to the extent that any water reservoir like a dam dug in Biharwe town board dries within months! He says; walls of latrine-pits excavated in the area collapse within a few months!
“The rich residents have opted to cementing the walls of their pit-latrines; but the poor ones just see their latrines helplessly collapse soon after constructing them,” he says, adding that others are resorting to using Ecosan toilets.
Mbarara district production and marketing officer, Beatrice Byarugaba says that besides the bare hills, whose tree cover has fallen victim of firewood for burning the bricks in a brick-kiln, wetlands continue to decline on the national scene.
She says that brick-layers should have a license for exploiting the wetlands. “Besides, any wetland developer should refill the pits dug in the process of excavating clay for making bricks. Such pits are dangerous to both animals and humans. Those pits also act as bleeding grounds for mosquitoes that transmit malaria,” she says.
Byarugaba, who is also Mbarara district agriculture officer, says; “The environmental officers should always ensure that the brick-layers and other wetland users have certificates allowing them to carry out activities in the wetlands.”
“Any developers using fragile eco-systems (wetlands) and road users should rehabilitate the portions they excavate by replanting grass and trees there. The environmental officers should always inspect such projects to ensure that those areas are replenished,’ she says.
The western site manager for Wetlands sector strategic plan-support project (WSSPP) under the ministry of water and development, Bernard M. Arinaitwe says brick-layers shouldn’t operate in wetlands without carrying out an environmental impact assessment.
He says politician bar their efforts to ensure sustainable use of wetlands. “Our politicians have let us down in Biharwe and around River Rwizi line in Nyamitanga. When we try to talk about the wetland encroachers there, they say, those are their voters!” he says.
Arinaitwe says wetlands are also disappearing in Nyeihanga in Rwampara county, yet wetlands are a capital resource since they are the source of water and rain.
He adds, “Brick-laying is destroying wetlands to the point of extinction. And brick-laying benefits the few at the expense of the general public that benefits domestic water and rainwater - partially formed by the wetlands.”
Arinaitwe says that WSSPP formulated an inter-district technical committee on July 24th with an aim of conserving River Rwizi and its tributaries. The committee is comprised of stakeholders from the districts of Mbarara, Kiruhura, Bushenyi, Ntungamo and Ibanda.
He says the inter-district technical committee headed by the chief administrative officer for Kiruhura district, William Kanyesigye as the chairperson, aims at ensuring that government regulates the developers and cultivators around the river banks and wetlands.
“The government policy of reserving 100 metres away from the riverbanks and lakes should be implemented. We want to draft wetland law. We can no longer underestimate the importance of wetlands,” Arinaitwe says.
He says the five districts under this inter-district committee will implement River Rwizi wetland system framework plan.
The chairperson for this inter-district committee, William Kanyesigye says there is need for decision-making among the stakeholders for they want to see work being done. He adds that they will start coordinating the districts’ activities in wetland management.
“We are now mainstreaming the environmental issues in district development plan. We are incorporating each district in the protection of wetlands and River Rwizi to avoid duplication of activities,” he says.
He says the wetlands have not been seen as of big importance in the last 20 years. And this explains why they are not part of the land law.
“Those who got land titles in wetlands before 1995 are entitled to their lands but those who got the land titles in wetlands after 1995 – ‘bought air’ and should vacate,” he warns.
The western regional awareness officer for National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA), Jeconious Musingwire says degradation of the wetlands especially marshes is exacerbated by a myth that they are sources malaria and bilharzia.
“People therefore destroy wetlands, considering them useless - apart from providing a few fish such as lung fish, Protopterus species, catfish, Clarias species, and providing materials for thatching and handcraft besides the bricks or matafaari,” he says.
He says the wetland resource is under considerable pressure that has left many of them drained. The increasing population is also imposing a heavy strain on the environment like encroachment on forest resources, game reserves and swamp reclamation
“Perhaps the government should promote the building blocks made out of cement and sand (non-clay bricks). This will reduce on the rate of deforestation, which is associated with the cutting of trees for burning the bricks,” he suggests.
Musingwire, who is also Mbarara district natural resource officer, says the dominant plants in these wetlands being lost through brick-laying and sand mining include: papyrus, acacia, phoenix, phraganites, cyprerus and sorghastrium species.
Our ancestors used wetland edges to produce millet, sweet potatoes and other crops. But comtemporally farmers in villages view wetlands as fertile lands for agriculture while town-dwellers view them as opportunities for development!
He says the highest degradation of wetlands for brick-laying is at Ruti, Nyamitanga division in Mbarara municipality. He says the demand for bricks has shifted from the banks of River Rwizi to its tributaries.
Wetlands play a vital role in groundwater regulation, he says, and encroachers are breaking the law. According to section 99 of National Environmental Act, Chapter 153 of 1995, the encroachers of wetlands are liable to a fine ranging from sh108,000 to sh18m.
“Wetlands are not wastelands, and the encroachers are therefore liable to imprisonment not exceeding 18 months or both – the cash fine and imprisonment,” Musingwire says.
He says the National Environmental (wetlands, riverbanks and lake shores management) Regulations, 2000 should be used to guide the public about proper management and rational utilisation of wetlands; short of this, we are doomed!
· Ends.
Word count: 1,122.
1 comment:
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Sunshine Coast Bricklayers
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