Africa-Press – Uganda. A year ago, Nyendo-Mukungwe Municipality leaders in Masaka City embarked on a project to create an access road through Nakayiba Wetland that would connect some villages to the Masaka-Mbarara bypass.
What was viewed as a good project to benefit surrounding communities has since been opposed by conservationists, with arguments of protecting one of the few remaining wetlands in Masaka City.
The planned road, measuring about 1.5 kilometres, was to connect four villages of Nakayiba A, Nakayiba B, Binyonyi A, and Nsereko.
The protests by conservationists drew the attention of National Environment Management Authority (Nema), the environmental watch dog, which responded by halting the project.
The Nema executive director, Dr Akankwasa Barirega, who personally inspected the project, said there was no Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) done by municipal authorities prior to the commencement of the project.
An EIA is a critical examination of the effects of a project on the environment.
The EIA makes sure that project implementers think about the likely effects on the environment at the earliest possible time and aim to avoid, reduce or offset those effects.
According to Dr Barirega, local authorities removed the Nema stone marks in the wetland and started constructing the road without an approved Environment and Social Impact Assessment report and a wetland resource use permit.
‘’The leaders in Nyendo-Mukungwe neither made an impact assessment survey nor informed us about the project before they started constructing the road. We ordered them to halt the project forthwith and follow the right procedures,’’ he said.
This publication has further learnt that leaders in Nyendo-Mukungwe Municipality had spent close to Shs100m by the time Nema halted the project. Nyendo-Mukungwe Municipality chairperson Michael Mulindwa Nakumusaana said they have failed to secure a wetland resource use permit allowing them to proceed with the road project in Nakayiba wetland.
“We are still trying to secure a permit and once we get it, we shall resume construction works,” he said.
He claims that a small footpath existed before but it got destroyed due to raising water levels in the wetland.
“As a council, we decided that we open an access road from Nakayiba to the Masaka-Mbarara Bypass to stop people from destroying Nakayiba Wetland and also reduce garbage, which was collected around that area,” he added
Nema spokesperson Tonny Achidria advises the Masaka City leaders to apply for a wetland resource use permit if they still want a road through the wetland.
“We have not received any application from Masaka City leaders that they want to construct a road in a wetland, let them follow the right procedures and later come to Nema for approval,” he said.
In September 2021, Nema temporarily suspended receipt, consideration and approval of user permits and environment and social impact assessments for activities and development projects in wetlands with the intent to reduce pressure on wetlands.
The road construction project also drew criticism from some residents who claim that it encroaches on their private land.
Mr Kateregga Njawukana, a resident of Nyendo Town near Nakayiba wetland, said the access road trespasses his land on Plot 10 where his houses and toilets were razed without compensation.
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