Africa-Press – Uganda. Environment and sanitation presidential advisor Prof Gilbert Bukenya is seeking to meet flood-hit residents of Namiiro wetland in Entebbe Municipality together with their local leaders to come up with a solution to rampant flooding in the area.
According to Bukenya, “evicting residents whose possessions are already destroyed in houses submerged in water will be a punishment.”
“I want a solution to enable you to live a better life because the situation on the ground is extremely appalling,” he said while touring Namiiro wetland on April 26.
His visit followed information that people’s houses were submerged in water following heavy rains that have pounded the area for several weeks.
“As I was conversing with some children, I was shocked to learn that they do not have pit latrines but use buveeras [polythene bags] and throw them in water. I am worried that anytime a cholera outbreak may erupt in this area. We need a quick solution before the worst comes,” he urged.
The children also told the former vice president that some residents abandoned their houses due to floods and currently live with relatives in other places within Entebbe Division B.
“The swamps here were created by God to filter water going into the lake, but people are occupying them causing climate issues. These are our people. We need to save them,” he added.
Entebbe resident Charles Luwalira told Prof Bukenya that the municipality’s former Mayor Vincent Kayanja, had planted trees to demarcate the swamp and human settlements but they decayed.
“We request the leaders to show us the boundaries because we have titles for our pieces of land,” he remarked on Sunday.
Entebbe Division B chairperson Richard Ssekyondo welcomed Prof Bukenya’s proposal to meet locals to forge a way forward.
“We have a plan of planting bamboo trees in that area [Namiiro]. The trees are environment friendly and help to reduce on global warming,’’ he said.
About Namiiro wetland
Namiiro is one of the few remaining wetlands in Entebbe. Other wetlands like Mabamba Nambigirwa, Lutembe and Nagadya have been heavily degraded.
People started encroaching on Namiiro wetland in 2006 by carrying out bricklaying and later started constructing houses.
The wetland measures about 1,000 hectares, but almost a quarter of it has been encroached on by at least 5,000 people.
In 2020, the National Environment Management Authority (Nema) tried to evict residents in Namiiro , but the exercise did not takeoff.
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