Ministry of Water and Environment released a statement, in a bid to restore natural resources and the environment, cabinet has issued express ordered that are to be implemented instantly.
“All encroachers on government forest reserves, lakeshores and riverbanks should be evicted and the affected ecosystem restored. Encroachers are hereby given time to harvest their crops and voluntarily vacate. Those who fail to comply will be evicted,” the statement reads in part.
“Construction of factories in wetlands is hereby banned until further notice whereas all industries are directed to comply with the standards and regulations for the discharge of effluents , air emissions and waste management.”
The decision was moved by the decline in the country’s environment and natural resources sub-sector over the last three decades from 15.6% to 8.4% while the forest cover has reduced from 24% to only 9%, according to the statement said. Government says the trend has made Uganda among the most rapidly deforesting nations in the world.
“Therefore, encroachers in rural wetlands will be mobilized and re-organized to engage in alternative sustainable wetland utilization models. Therefore, growing of rice and other crops in wetlands is banned.”
“Encroachers who illegally grabbed urban wetlands have been asked to vacate voluntarily or be forced out whereas all titles issued illegally in wetlands and forest reserves must be canceled by the Ministry of Lands and the people who issued them prosecuted.”
Cabinet through the new directives also wants boundaries of forest reserves marked afresh and marked whereas the importation of polythene bags into the country is also banned.
Government has also banned the importation of treated utility poles.
This is the umpteenth time that government is ordering immediate efforts aimed at restoration of the environment and other natural resources.
A number of factories including Abacus Parenteral Drugs Ltd, Tian Tang Group and Global Paper located in the Mbarara industrial park are located in wetlands. Many others in the Namanve industrial park including Picfare Industries among others are also situated in wetlands .
Many of them have on the other side continued with construction works in wetlands and razing down of forest reserves simply because they have godfathers in both State House and wider government.
