Lira City Environment Officer said they are also trans-planting other trees like papyrus to restore 70% of the reclaimed wetlands.
By Acipa Doreen
Lira – February 13, 2022: Farmers have started counting losses. National Environmental Management Authority (NEEMA) has ravaged over ten hectares of rice plantations.
In an operation led by the Environmental Police attached to the Ministry of Water and Environment and Lira City Council’s NEMA unit, they described the plantations as “illegal”.
In December 2021, Okole wetland in Lira City was encroached for rice growing. The wetland stretches from Railways Ward, Lira City East Division up to Kole district.
The officials who conducted the operation said it is an attempt to restore over 70 percent of wetland coverage within Lira City currently reclaimed by the encroachers.
ASP Muhindo Mbarak is the commandant of the Environment Police for the Lango sub-region. “The main purpose of the operation which involved cutting down of rice that was planted is aimed at cracking down wetland encroachment,” he said.
“Despite several attempts through community engagements on the dangers of encroaching wetlands, the communities have still continued to reclaim the land,” Muhindo added.
In June last year, according to him, they had a community engagement in specific sections of Okole wetland within the City where farmers who were cultivating in wetlands signed an agreement that after harvesting their rice by December they would be out of the place.
“We later on accepted as key stakeholders and had an agreement signed between them and us,” he empathized.
To their surprise, he added they made an inspection in mid-January 2022 and found the encroachers are continuing with the cultivation.
“That is when we mobilized ourselves, different stakeholders and we went on the ground where we then cut 10 hectares of the rice.”
Five people who were got cultivating in the wetlands were arrested and others took off. Those arrested were taken to Lira Central Police Station.
Leonard Otike, the Lira City Environment Officer said they are also trans-planting other trees like papyrus to restore 70% of the reclaimed wetlands.
“As we were doing the operations and cutting down of the rice planted in the wetlands, there was also a team of people whom we have gone with who were trans-planting the papyrus in the areas which were heavily degraded. So we hope it will regenerate and catch up with the other areas,” Otike told TND News in an interview on Friday, February 11.
He wants the public to conserve the environment mainly the wetlands, adding there are many factors that would arise from it and the most affected would be the people.
“It’s a known fact that degrading wetland system, deforestation are things that destroy our environment and when our environment is compromised, the populations are the ones that suffer in terms of increased weather pattern, increased rain and many other factors,” he explained
James Ogwang, one of the farmers in Railways Quarters village, Lira City East Division condemned the operations. “My one acre of rice was cut down by police.”
“Yet, rich men are continuing to degrade many wetlands in Lira City without any action from NEMA,” he expressed his concern.
“It’s unfortunate that the poor people who cultivate rice are the ones targeted despite the fact that rich people are allowed to construct big buildings on the wetland,” Ogwang added.
On Friday, February 11, 2022, Lira Magistrate Court sentenced to one month in community service five people who were arrested on February 7 2022 cultivating the wetlands. The five are Michael Olaka, Emmanuel Okot, Sheriff Goi; Jimmy Okwany, and Aaron Odur.
They will both be working for two hours every day until their one-month community service sentence is done, according to the ruling made by His Worship Samson Abiti Loum, the Lira Chief Magistrate.
The government and different NGOs have in recent past warned Ugandans against encroaching on the wetlands. As it is common, people have defied this warning and continue to encroach.
On February 7, 2022, President Yoweri Museveni warned Ugandans against encroaching wetlands, saying those who will buy land in such areas would lose their money as the government will cancel their land titles.
“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,” Museveni advised in a tweet.