R.Rwizi encroachers warned against destruction
BY AMOS TAYEBWA
MBARARA
A NUMBER OF people have encroached on River Rwizi and carried out activities that have destroyed banks leading the river to dry up.
However, authorities have warned people who have continued to encroach on River Rwizi.
Government has also been asked to come up and enforce laws against the illegal encroachment of the river.
The call was made during the River Rwizi marathon awareness that was held over the weekend at Booma Grounds in Mbarara that was organised by Abahumuza Development group. They were supported by other government entities like Ministry of Water, National Water and Sewerage Corporation, Lato milk among others.
Seith Murari, the Chairman Abahumuza Development Group said they decided to organize the marathon to rally people to come on board and run to save River Rwizi. He said they put emphasis on the youth and every other able persons to participate in the activity adding that the main reason was to sensitize people about what is destroying the mighty river that serves a number of districts in western Uganda with water.
He said that what is destroying the river are illegal human activities that need to be stopped. Among the activities include sand mining, brick laying, construction within the buffer zone, disposing of waste in the river and other agricultural activities.
Murari revealed that Abahumuza Group cannot save River Rwizi alone adding that they are facing a number of challenges including people who encroached on the river and those that constructed within the buffer zone of the river. He said the encroachers are resisting to vacate from those areas. “We therefore need the government to lend a hand like giving us a law enforcement team to achieve those objectives to maintain our river,” said Murari.
Bonny Tashobya Karutsya, the Speaker Mbarara City Council strongly warned the people carrying illegal activities in the river buffer zone to vacate before the law is enforced on them. That Mbarara City council currently has a court that has autonomous powers to convict the suspects once they are found guilty.
Ramathan Kimbugwe, the PRO Abahumuza Development Group said that most of the authorities concerned on saving river Rwizi have not done enough to protect and save River Rwizi. That most of them they just sit in offices but don’t go to the field to sensitize the communities about save River Rwizi. He said that as Abahumuza they decided to start the marathon initiative to create awareness against destroying River Rwizi.
He said that there have been weaknesses to protect or save River Rwizi, that all the river banks have been destroyed because all the swamps or wetlands around this river have been destroyed. The people Mbarara have contributed on disposing wastes into the River, which Mbarara contributes 75% on of plastic waste that ends into River Rwizi.
Kimbugwe also added that the money that was collected from this run is meant to scale the project of underground waste bankers. About 250 underground waste bankers are going to be constructed in Mbarara City which will have the capacity to collect about 450 tones of wastes per year and this will minimise plastic wastes that end in River Rwizi.
According to Kimbugwe, about over shs 700m is needed to work on all those banks and other interventions.
According to Ministry of Water, the water comes in rainy season and it flashes out. It comes with a lot of silt and it goes. In the dry season the river is almost dry. That in case there is protection of all the wetlands, protecting of all the hills and protecting all the river banks then the river bank will come back. That there is a need to do very many activities between annually so that the river can come back.
DEAR READER, DO YOU HAVE A HOT STORY YOU WOULD LIKE US TO PUBLISH…
FRAUD IN BANKS, BETTING FIRMS, CHEATERS, DIVORCE FILES, SEX NETWORKS, SEX FOR MARKS, HARASSMENT OF ALL NATURE AT OFFICE BY YOUR BOSS, CHILD NEGLECT, WETLAND OCCUPATION, ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION, VIDEOS, IMPUNITY or CORRUPTION (in government agencies/ MDA’s, NGOs, Ministries, Private sector), FIGHTS IN OFFICES, JOB WARS/ WITCH HUNT, URA TAX FRAUD/NON-COMPLIANCE, CHEATING MONEY LENDERS, BUSINESS WRANGLES, SUBSTANDARD PRODUCTS, GOLD SCAMS, NSSF REMITTANCES NON COMPLIANCE, LAND ISSUES, INTERNAL AUDIT REPORTS EXPOSES, POLITICAL WRANGLES…ETAL.
CALL/TEXT/WHATSAPP 0777959024 OR EMAIL: [email protected] WITH AS MUCH EVIDENCE AS POSSIBLE.
SOURCE PROTECTION/CONFIDENTIALITY IS OUR NO.1 PRIORITY.