BUSIA’S RIVER OF LIFE TURNS INTO DEATHTRAP

Nov 04, 2009

TIMES have changed in this little-known village of Namaubi near the eastern border town of Busia.

BY GERALD TENYWA

TIMES have changed in this little-known village of Namaubi near the eastern border town of Busia.

For Jackson Egesa, 50, a resident of the village, life is unbearable.

“I used to walk my animals down to River Solo, which the locals called “the river of life”, but not any more. Today, Egesa says, the waters of this river are poisonous and the river typifies death.

“I lost two cows after they drank the poisonous water early this year,” Egesa says.

He blames his misery on a hides and skin factory, Jambo Tannery Uganda Limited. The factory, located a kilometre away from Egesa’s farm, releases its liquid waste into the river. He says Solo used to be a sanctuary to fish, frogs and other forms of aquatic life, but these have since disappeared because of contamination.

Accompanied by his wife, Rev. Edward Kyamgulo, another resident, points to the river and laments: “All the hopes we had for prosperity evaporated with the coming of the tannery. We do not understand this kind of development that pollutes the environment and hurts the poor.”

Kyamgulo remembers a hostile encounter with the ‘dead river’ late last year when water splashed on his body. “I was clearing the drainage and water splashed on me,” he says. “My skin started itching immediately.”

He sought medical assistance from a health facility.

“I was worried, but the tests indicated that my blood was not poisoned. Doctors advised me to use a skin ointment to deal with the burning sensation, but up to today, the skin still itches.”

Kyamgulo’s goats too were not spared when they strayed to the river and drank the water. This has made him give up goat-rearing. He is now contemplating shifting from the village.

“I am thinking of selling my land because the river that nurtured life is no more,” he says. “My health and property are threatened and vacating this place is the only option.

“While the hides company is making money, the local people are being deprived of a livelihood. It is a shame our leaders are defending the company. They say it provides employment to the local people, but at what cost?”

What is even more annoying is the aloofness of the managers of the factory. “They denied responsibility over the pollution,” says Beatrice Akello, another resident. “This is our land and I will not surrender it to any polluter. I was among the villagers that attended the meeting that gave them up to October to clean up the mess.”

Akello says the meeting took place at Elm Primary School three months ago. It was attended by residents of the six villages that use the river water.

River Solo flows into River Malaba. Malaba feeds river Mpologoma, which flows into Lake Kyoga, a water body crossed by the Nile River.

Alfred Mayune, a bicycle rider, says when one uses the water to wash a bicycle, the rims gets rusty in a short time. “If the chemical affects a metal like that, how about human beings?” he wonders.

Air pollution
Mayune says a stench from the leather tannery sometimes engulfs the town. “If released before meal time, you cannot eat food. The stomach rumbles and some people even vomit.

“The leather investors have changed tactics. They release the waste at night and when it is raining so that river carries it far away.

According to sources, pollution from the leather tannery is eating away the fresh air in Busia. They say the stench can cover a radius of about 10km.

Civil society action
The Youth Environmental Service, a non-governmental organisation, has questioned Busia District Council and the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA). “We have been sending protest notes to the executive director of NEMA every month,” says Amosieh Ongatai, the organisation coordinator. “The LCs may have approved the operations of the tannery without consulting the local people. An environmental impact assessment that addresses all the concerns of the stakeholders must be undertaken.”

NEMA’s action
In a separate interview, Dick Lufafa, a NEMA official confirmed that the liquid waste often contains excessive chromium, a chemical that causes cancer. He adds that the smell contains hydrogen sulphide which, if taken in high concentrations, causes blood poisoning.

On why NEMA is not taking action, Lufafa says: “We closed down this tannery but cleared them on condition that they rectify the problem.”

Two months ago, a team from NEMA collected samples for testing. “The samples will help us tell whether they are violating the limits.”

The communities accuse their district leaders and the town council of ignoring their plight.

In addition to pollution, Egesa points out that the filth in Busia has reached alarming levels yet the leaders do not seem bothered.

The NEMA and the Health Acts empower communities to clamp down on investments that cause pollution.

But Michael Wejuli, the acting town clerk, says though the people are blaming them the situation is beyond their control. “Our hands are tied. We brought the issue to NEMA’s attention. They closed the tannery and reopened it after the owners assured them they would address the issue. We have not given up; NEMA took the samples and we hope something will be done,” he says.

But as the people keep their fingers crossed, the question on everyone’s mind is: How long must they wait before justice can be done? For, justice delayed is justice denied.

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