Kabira defies NEMA order
Jan 15, 2006
SEWAGE and waste from Kabira Country Club are polluting springs in Naguru area. The waste meanders from the club down to Naguru valley into water springs such as Kabanyanya in Kasenke II Remand, Kasasiro B in Go-down, Binyonyi in Binyonyi, Nalongo in Naguru lower and Kiwarimu in Kiwarimu zone.
By John Kasozi
SEWAGE and waste from Kabira Country Club are polluting springs in Naguru area. The waste meanders from the club down to Naguru valley into water springs such as Kabanyanya in Kasenke II Remand, Kasasiro B in Go-down, Binyonyi in Binyonyi, Nalongo in Naguru lower and Kiwarimu in Kiwarimu zone.
“It is two years since the sewage started flowing. We complained to the authorities, but nothing has been done. The odour is horrible.
Headache and stomachache is constant,†says a middle-aged lady working close to the effluent channel. She says the only water that looks clear is the one released from the swimming pool.
“During rains, the effluents mix with storm water and flood into the gardens along the valley.â€
Several residents of Bukoto-Naguru who were interviewed concurred. “We have to close our house and car windows at times especially when winds blow in our direction.â€
These effluents contain harmful pathogens including bio-accumulating materials or heavy metals in high concentrations, which are taken up by plants and then human beings.
“We issued Kabira Country Club with a 30-day restoration order, which expired on December 16, 2005. They have not responded. Now the matter is being handled by our legal department,†says Linda Biribwona, the senior environmental officer, NEMA.
Francis Lubowa, Kampala city minister for health, hygiene and environment improvement, says it is good the case has been reinstated. “Kabira Country Club has a septic tank, but it is full to the brim. They need a cesspool emptier to empty it.â€
Several attempts to talk to the proprietor of the club, Sudhir Ruparellia, have been futile. Unfortunately, the outlook for Nakawa division freshwater supply is not very promising.
It is faced with the double-edged problem of providing water and disposing of waste. The contamination of springs in the valley has also been made worse by the pit latrines built on the stream.
Kabanyanya spring is close to the cemetery, car washing bay, the stream and the road. Kasasiro spring catchment area is still bare. Latrines and houses surrounding Binyonyi spring are in a swampy area. People bathe from this spring.
According to the second interim district Sanitary Surveillance Report 2004 by Kampala Urban Sanitation Project and Chemiphar Laboratory Limited, out of 18 springs surveyed in Nakawa division, 50% had heavy contamination in excess of 100cfu/100ml and 34% had less than 50cfu/100ml (faecal coliforms).
SEWAGE and waste from Kabira Country Club are polluting springs in Naguru area. The waste meanders from the club down to Naguru valley into water springs such as Kabanyanya in Kasenke II Remand, Kasasiro B in Go-down, Binyonyi in Binyonyi, Nalongo in Naguru lower and Kiwarimu in Kiwarimu zone.
“It is two years since the sewage started flowing. We complained to the authorities, but nothing has been done. The odour is horrible.
Headache and stomachache is constant,†says a middle-aged lady working close to the effluent channel. She says the only water that looks clear is the one released from the swimming pool.
“During rains, the effluents mix with storm water and flood into the gardens along the valley.â€
Several residents of Bukoto-Naguru who were interviewed concurred. “We have to close our house and car windows at times especially when winds blow in our direction.â€
These effluents contain harmful pathogens including bio-accumulating materials or heavy metals in high concentrations, which are taken up by plants and then human beings.
“We issued Kabira Country Club with a 30-day restoration order, which expired on December 16, 2005. They have not responded. Now the matter is being handled by our legal department,†says Linda Biribwona, the senior environmental officer, NEMA.
Francis Lubowa, Kampala city minister for health, hygiene and environment improvement, says it is good the case has been reinstated. “Kabira Country Club has a septic tank, but it is full to the brim. They need a cesspool emptier to empty it.â€
Several attempts to talk to the proprietor of the club, Sudhir Ruparellia, have been futile. Unfortunately, the outlook for Nakawa division freshwater supply is not very promising.
It is faced with the double-edged problem of providing water and disposing of waste. The contamination of springs in the valley has also been made worse by the pit latrines built on the stream.
Kabanyanya spring is close to the cemetery, car washing bay, the stream and the road. Kasasiro spring catchment area is still bare. Latrines and houses surrounding Binyonyi spring are in a swampy area. People bathe from this spring.
According to the second interim district Sanitary Surveillance Report 2004 by Kampala Urban Sanitation Project and Chemiphar Laboratory Limited, out of 18 springs surveyed in Nakawa division, 50% had heavy contamination in excess of 100cfu/100ml and 34% had less than 50cfu/100ml (faecal coliforms).