The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Water and Environment has directed the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) and the Environment Directorate to intensify efforts in restoring wetlands across Eastern Uganda.
This directive comes as the ministry, with support from the police and army, continues its operations in the central region, demolishing structures illegally built in wetlands.
Speaking on behalf of the Permanent Secretary on Saturday during an open day at the ministry’s Eastern Region offices in Mbale City, Lucy lyango, the Assistant Commissioner for the Wetlands Management Department, emphasized the need for stricter enforcement to reclaim wetlands and riverbanks.
“We want to see the Directorate of Environment and NEMA more visible and proactive on the ground.
All those illegally occupying wetlands will be evicted and held accountable under the law,” lyango said. “The regional team is fully equipped to support these efforts with the necessary resources to ensure a sustainable environment.”
Vincent Woboya, Minister for Disaster in the Inzu Ya Masaba Cultural Institution, expressed concern over the rampant misuse of water resources in the region. “In Bugisu, we have several rivers crucial to our ecological balance, but they are being polluted by local communities.
There is an urgent need to raise awareness about the value of these water sources,” Woboya stated.
He highlighted the increasing problem of river flooding and water scarcity, noting that some rivers nearly dry up during the dry season, forcing water utility suppliers to ration water.
“People have cultivated right up to the riverbanks, and if given the chance, they would even cultivate inside the river,” he lamented.
“Rivers follow their natural course, but when people interfere, disasters strike. Erosion causes sedimentation, leading to siltation.
When the dry season sets in, the rivers dry up rapidly.” Woboya also decried the decline in fish populations in local rivers.
“We used to catch plenty of catfish and mudfish, but now the only thing you find is frogs. Our people have destroyed these water resources through pollution,” he said.
“As a cultural institution, we are not just here for the king and mourning the dead. We want to see our communities thrive by conserving nature.”
Reverend Titus Kutosi of Mbale Archdiocese revealed that the Anglican Church of Uganda has launched an environmental conservation initiative, planting trees and grass on all church lands nationwide.
“We are destroying our future by failing to protect the environment. I still remember swimming in the alluvial pools of River Manafwa as a child because the only other swimming pools were at Nabumali High School and Elgon Hotel-luxuries for the rich,” Kutosi reminisced.
He urged the government to provide alternative livelihoods for communities that depend on wetland resources.
“Uganda is known for having great policies on paper, but if we want public trust, we must act on our words,” he added. Base Katami, the Mbale District Vice Chairperson, applauded the government for rehabilitating gravity water schemes in hard-to-reach areas.
However, she called for urgent intervention in Bunambutye Sub-County, where residents are consuming water that is affecting the color of their teeth.
Harriet Kakai, the Deputy Mayor and guest of honor at the event, commended the ministry’s efforts in promoting irrigation farming and improving water and sanitation facilities in city schools.
“Why would someone destroy water pipes passing through their garden when the project is meant to benefit the entire community?
Then the same people start blaming the government for not helping them,” Kakai remarked, urging the public to take responsibility for safeguarding government projects in their localities.
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