The Rubanda County West legislator Hon Moses Kamuntu Mwongyera has directed his constituents to encroach on wetlands. He has also advised them to arrest any government official who will dare chase them from the wetlands again until President Museveni secures them compensation.
Hon Kamuntu claimed that he had met the President of Uganda over the wetland matter, and His Excellency was still gathering money to compensate wetland occupants in Rubanda.
“I met the president and he is still looking for money to compensate you. Please occupy the wetlands again, use them as usual. Arrest for me anyone from NEMA who will attempt to disrupt you, ” Kamuntu ordered.
The legislator made the comments on Monday while commissioning the construction of Nshanjaare/Ndego road at Ndeego trading center.
President Museveni has on several occasions warned the public against encroaching on wetlands for environmental conservation purposes. In February this year, President Museveni took to his twitter handle @KagutaMuseveni and warned against wetland encroachment.
“No one should build or buy land in the road reserves or wetlands. You will lose your money and we shall NOT compensate anyone. Your titles will be canceled. Tampering with wetlands is not a good practice for our environment. Even those planting rice in swamps should desist.”
“I will get time and come to Eastern Uganda to talk about growing rice in swamps. You would rather do fish farming which brings the same amount of money while saving the swamps and using the swamp grass for mulching your gardens,”President Museveni tweeted.
As per the Regulations, any person who, without prior appropriate approval, undertakes an activity that is likely to have adverse effects on a wetland, commits an offence and is liable to a prison sentence or to pay a fine as stipulated in the law.
In order to restore the wetland and prevent further degradation, wetland encroachers in Rubanda district were last year directed by the government to vacate them. Hon Kamuntu’s advice to his constituents, however, quashes the directives.
Wetlands are an important part of the ecosystem because they are a habitat for some species, perform hydrological functions such as regulation of water quality, reduce soil erosion and aid in flood control.
Despite these important ecological functions, wetlands have been targeted for settlement, agriculture and other developments in several parts of the country.
On Friday last week, the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) started a restoration exercise of the Kitagata Wetland system in Sheema district that had been threatened by encroachment.
The exercise follows routine inspections of the wetland system that revealed a systematic encroachment through, illegal construction, planting of alien tree species such as eucalyptus, establishment of illegal automobile and motorcycle washing bays, dumping of murram and disposal of both degradable and non-degradable waste into the fragile ecosystem.
Wetland restoration in the country is key because it enables them to perform vital ecological functions.
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