Some of the businessmen and women occupying the area of Kasangi claim that they are working for big people in the government. Some of these Chinese nationals are operating solely without even a registered company they mine sand direct from the lake which is an illegal activity.

According to our sources, it is alleged that the Lwera based companies labelled Double Q and Kamaliba community among many others are guarded by men in uniform and are operating on forged documents from the famous Nasser road a street in Kampala commonly known for duplication and manipulation of authoritative documents in the country.

Double Q company has gone ahead to construct permanent structures with a wall fence in the Lwera wetland. More structures are covered with containers with the intention of dodging enforcement to demolish them.

The Chairman Kamaliba community and the project lead claim to be a cadre supporting the ruling party the National Resistance Movement and that his trust and confidence are confined in the generals of the Uganda Peoples’ Defense Force and their friends.

Speaking to one Thomas (not real name) he says, this shows that the inspectors from the Ministry of Water and Environment together with the National Environmental Authority (NEEMA) are not doing enough and nothing they can do to stop these dangers to the environment.

“The illegal activities ongoing are a source of daily bread to these officers around.  They pretend to have closed some of them but in just an hour after the operation, you find that the companies have resumed work.”

At one time Members of Parliament on the Committee of Environment made a tour to Lwera but surprisingly instead of taking them to the companies performing illegal mining activities they were led to a rice irrigation farm.

This leads to a confirmation that the officers from the authority in charge of protecting the environment (NEMA) are aware of the dubious actions ongoing in the Lwera wetland. This has coined a number of questions.

Some of the companies that are fully registered and legally operating raise an alarm of unfair competition from the briefcase and red flag the companies which are not known legally and are doing business (mining and selling sand at a price of their choice).

PUBLIC CONCERNS:

1. There should be a uniform price range of sellers in the sand mining areas to create a fair completion among the business competitors.
2. Is the Environmental Police and NEMA aware of permanent buildings in Lwera wetlands?
3. Constructed permanent structures in the Lwera wetlands should be demolished and also other ongoing constructions in sand mining areas stopped.
4. Why has NEMA failed to stop illegal sand miners from operating until they get clear documents from the authorities?
5. NEMA and the Environmental Police should explain why materials including machines of some companies which are illegally operating in the wetlands cannot be confiscated.
6. Is the Environmental enforcement Police supporting the misuse of wetlands as well as aiding the construction of permanent buildings in these areas?
7. Why should companies continue to violate environmental guidelines unquestionable?
8. Why is the Ministry of Water and Environment and environmental activists silent on the issues concerning the dying nature in these wetlands?
9. Activities of Kamaliba Community, Katabazi and Double Q companies should be cross-checked in regards to environmental protection and destruction.
10. Relevant agencies should ONLY issue permits to competent companies but also be keen on how their activities in the wetlands.

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I am aware that the responsible agencies on the environment have been able to clear some companies to participate in the sand mining business. However, the same agencies like the Environmental Police have gone silent on the rising cases of misuse and encroachment of wetlands and other sensitive environmental areas.

Companies like Double Q should be cross-checked on their operations in the wetlands because they defied the guidelines and went ahead to construct a permanent structure behind their temporary containers. In actual sense, once someone or a company disobeys the environmental regulations, its permit is supposed to be automatically revoked. Surprisingly, companies which have violated the environmental guidelines have continued to operate as if relevant organs are not watching.

Wetlands are a habitat for many species of fish and wildlife, including migratory birds, endangered species, commercially and recreationally finfish, shellfish, and many species of wild plants. Generally speaking, wetlands regulate water flows, store water and buffer the effects of storms; filter and help to purify water and provide essential habitat for flora and fauna.

They also act as the natural regulators of water flows, flood control, slowing and retaining water during periods of high runoff. This buffers the impact of storms and reduces shoreline erosion, thereby protecting against the loss of life and property. By holding water and releasing it slowly, wetlands help to recharge groundwater supplies and offset the effects of drought. Moreover, through processes not fully understood, wetlands can moderate local temperature and precipitation.

By and large, the construction of permanent buildings in wetlands is affecting our ecosystem in many ways. A casual observation of some projects in Lwera, Mpigi-Kalungu Districts reveals a massive destruction of Wetlands largely resulting from effects of illegal sand mining and construction of permanent structures. The Lwera wetlands were initially areas of grazing and fishing as well as sources of water for domestic use. It now appears that due to the settlement of illegal sand drillers, the public’s perception on these traditional uses of wetlands has shifted.

Individuals and companies that have violated the environmental regulations have rendered wetlands to be truly threatened landscapes and ecosystems. Wetlands need to be appreciated and conserved for their traditionally perceived values and hydrological- physical, biological and socio-economic functions.

The Environmental Police should come out and explain why it did not confiscate materials of some companies which are misusing our wetlands by constructing permanent buildings in these areas. We need an explanation on the activities of Kamaliba Community, Katabazi and Double Q in regards to environmental protection and destruction. Relevant agencies can issue permits to competent companies but be keen on how they use these wetlands.

If the environmental guidelines are not observed, we shall see wetlands coming to us in the form of moving islands, floods and animals which stay in these wetlands will visit us in our homes or gardens. I will continue to remind the general public that wetlands should be protected because they produce numerous benefits for society. Benefits which are either irreplaceable if lost or can only be replaced at an immense expense.

By David Serumaga is a Concerned Citizen and an Environmentalist in Uganda

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