Mutundwe wants power plant shut down
WHEN the 50megawatt Aggreko Thermal Power Station in Mutundwe, Rubaga Division, was switched on mid this year, the intention was to increase power production by using heavy fuel oils.
By Raymond Baguma
WHEN the 50megawatt Aggreko Thermal Power Station in Mutundwe, Rubaga Division, was switched on mid this year, the intention was to increase power production by using heavy fuel oils.
However, Mutundwe residents did not anticipate that shortly after, they would be up in arms against the plant’s heavy duty generators whose deafening noise and exhaust fumes have posed a health hazard.
In 2005, Aggreko signed a power purchase agreement with the Uganda Electricity Transmission Company (UETCL) to instal a 50MW temporary power plant in Mutundwe for three years.
About $160m (sh296b) worth, it was considered the largest contract in Aggreko’s history and the first in Uganda. The new thermal plant was constructed close to the already-existing 132/133KV Mutundwe UETCL power sub-station to facilitate connection of the generated power onto the national grid.
However, about 17 families in Kitawuluzi and Kanisa zones are complaining about the deafening noise and diesel fumes emitted from the power plant. They have threatened to drag Aggreko and UETCL to court. They will also seek to apply for the cancellation of Aggreko’s lucrative contract.
When The New Vision visited the area recently, the residents said the vibrations caused by the generators have caused their houses to crack, weakening the structures.
Today, the residents of the two zones no longer rely on rainwater harvesting because the water is tainted with soot and burnt diesel oil that gathers on their roofs.
Betty Muwonge, a resident, says she no longer opens the windows of her house because of the choking diesel fumes.
She also complains that during the civil works construction phase that involved levelling the site, the driveway to her house was damaged by the heavy trucks and was never repaired.
According to the residents, Aggreko made no provisions for water drainage. As a result, storm water from the plant has caused erosion while the trees that were cut down were not replaced.
The noisy generators also distract students in the nearby schools during lessons and worshippers in the churches are equally affected. The schools include Mutundwe CoU Primary School and Mutundwe SS. The places of worship are St. Lwanga Catholic Church, Mutundwe Mosque, Mutundwe All Saints Church and a number of Pentecostal churches.
The deafening noise and vibrations disrupt the reception of phone calls as well as the telephone, TV and radio signals.
“The electricity that is generated is not so useful to us because most times we experience blackouts and spend days without power,†Muwonge, complains.
She adds that the security floodlights at the power plant are so bright that residents cannot sleep.
Residents recently petitioned the Uganda Human Rights Commission on grounds that there was environmental pollution which was affecting their right to live in a clean and healthy environment.
In August and September, the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) established that the plant is located in a populated residential area. The inspectors established that the noise levels from the generators during the two months were 60 decibels and later 65 decibels.
The maximum permissible noise levels for a general environment established by NEMA are 35 decibels from 6:00am to 10:00pm; and 50 decibels from 10:00pm to 6:00am in residential buildings.
The inspectors also established that the generators lacked sound proof devices. While the exhaust fumes from the generators are emitted into the atmosphere, Aggreko did not monitor their composition and transmit results of their monitoring to NEMA on a regular basis.
NEMA executive director Aryamanya Mugisha ordered Aggreko management to put in place measures to ensure the generator noise does not exceed the permissible levels. He ordered Aggreko to monitor gaseous emissions from the generators and submit the results to NEMA within 30 days from September 24. But the deadline expired on October 24.
On October 15, the residents wrote to UETCL saying their concern was not opposing the project, but to design ways of reducing the noise produced by the generators.
The residents say Aggreko did not follow the terms set by NEMA, which included having 46 generators.
Instead, Aggreko operates 80 generators.
Efforts by The New Vision to get in touch with Aggreko officials were futile; but UETCL project implementation manager Dennis Makuba says Aggreko is working on importing an acoustic wall from the UK, which will be installed around the plant to control the excessive noise.
Aggreko management increased the length of the exhaust pipes to facilitate the channelling of the emitted smoke into the atmosphere without affecting the residents.
Makuba says UETCL wanted to propose switching off the plant at midnight, but this would have contractual implications. However, he says the residents’ motive could be to make money.
HEALTH RISKS
Residents have reported infant deaths and increased incidents of ailments such as chest pain, deafness, eye irritations, sneezing, flu and cough. They blame the ailments on inhaling the burnt diesel fumes. Residents fear they will suffer from cancer because of the radiations.
Michael Lwanga, a resident, claims when his wife, Josephine, was two months pregnant, she suffered severe abdominal pains. On October 29, when she was rushed to Rubaga Hospital, the diagnosis revealed that the foetus had died. The doctor allegedly said she had inhaled poisonous gases.
WHEN the 50megawatt Aggreko Thermal Power Station in Mutundwe, Rubaga Division, was switched on mid this year, the intention was to increase power production by using heavy fuel oils.
However, Mutundwe residents did not anticipate that shortly after, they would be up in arms against the plant’s heavy duty generators whose deafening noise and exhaust fumes have posed a health hazard.
In 2005, Aggreko signed a power purchase agreement with the Uganda Electricity Transmission Company (UETCL) to instal a 50MW temporary power plant in Mutundwe for three years.
About $160m (sh296b) worth, it was considered the largest contract in Aggreko’s history and the first in Uganda. The new thermal plant was constructed close to the already-existing 132/133KV Mutundwe UETCL power sub-station to facilitate connection of the generated power onto the national grid.
However, about 17 families in Kitawuluzi and Kanisa zones are complaining about the deafening noise and diesel fumes emitted from the power plant. They have threatened to drag Aggreko and UETCL to court. They will also seek to apply for the cancellation of Aggreko’s lucrative contract.
When The New Vision visited the area recently, the residents said the vibrations caused by the generators have caused their houses to crack, weakening the structures.
Today, the residents of the two zones no longer rely on rainwater harvesting because the water is tainted with soot and burnt diesel oil that gathers on their roofs.
Betty Muwonge, a resident, says she no longer opens the windows of her house because of the choking diesel fumes.
She also complains that during the civil works construction phase that involved levelling the site, the driveway to her house was damaged by the heavy trucks and was never repaired.
According to the residents, Aggreko made no provisions for water drainage. As a result, storm water from the plant has caused erosion while the trees that were cut down were not replaced.
The noisy generators also distract students in the nearby schools during lessons and worshippers in the churches are equally affected. The schools include Mutundwe CoU Primary School and Mutundwe SS. The places of worship are St. Lwanga Catholic Church, Mutundwe Mosque, Mutundwe All Saints Church and a number of Pentecostal churches.
The deafening noise and vibrations disrupt the reception of phone calls as well as the telephone, TV and radio signals.
“The electricity that is generated is not so useful to us because most times we experience blackouts and spend days without power,†Muwonge, complains.
She adds that the security floodlights at the power plant are so bright that residents cannot sleep.
Residents recently petitioned the Uganda Human Rights Commission on grounds that there was environmental pollution which was affecting their right to live in a clean and healthy environment.
In August and September, the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) established that the plant is located in a populated residential area. The inspectors established that the noise levels from the generators during the two months were 60 decibels and later 65 decibels.
The maximum permissible noise levels for a general environment established by NEMA are 35 decibels from 6:00am to 10:00pm; and 50 decibels from 10:00pm to 6:00am in residential buildings.
The inspectors also established that the generators lacked sound proof devices. While the exhaust fumes from the generators are emitted into the atmosphere, Aggreko did not monitor their composition and transmit results of their monitoring to NEMA on a regular basis.
NEMA executive director Aryamanya Mugisha ordered Aggreko management to put in place measures to ensure the generator noise does not exceed the permissible levels. He ordered Aggreko to monitor gaseous emissions from the generators and submit the results to NEMA within 30 days from September 24. But the deadline expired on October 24.
On October 15, the residents wrote to UETCL saying their concern was not opposing the project, but to design ways of reducing the noise produced by the generators.
The residents say Aggreko did not follow the terms set by NEMA, which included having 46 generators.
Instead, Aggreko operates 80 generators.
Efforts by The New Vision to get in touch with Aggreko officials were futile; but UETCL project implementation manager Dennis Makuba says Aggreko is working on importing an acoustic wall from the UK, which will be installed around the plant to control the excessive noise.
Aggreko management increased the length of the exhaust pipes to facilitate the channelling of the emitted smoke into the atmosphere without affecting the residents.
Makuba says UETCL wanted to propose switching off the plant at midnight, but this would have contractual implications. However, he says the residents’ motive could be to make money.
HEALTH RISKS
Residents have reported infant deaths and increased incidents of ailments such as chest pain, deafness, eye irritations, sneezing, flu and cough. They blame the ailments on inhaling the burnt diesel fumes. Residents fear they will suffer from cancer because of the radiations.
Michael Lwanga, a resident, claims when his wife, Josephine, was two months pregnant, she suffered severe abdominal pains. On October 29, when she was rushed to Rubaga Hospital, the diagnosis revealed that the foetus had died. The doctor allegedly said she had inhaled poisonous gases.