Uproar as Sudhir firm ‘grabs’ swamp
Nov 03, 2003
STATE minister for Lands Baguma Isoke has called for a probe into the rampant encroachment on Lake Victoria wetlands by flower firms.
By Gerald Tenywa
STATE minister for Lands Baguma Isoke has called for a probe into the rampant encroachment on Lake Victoria wetlands by flower firms.
He also vowed to petition President Yoweri Museveni to intervene, saying the investors can cultivate their flowers outside the swamps.
This follows reports by the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) that Rosebud, a flower firm owned by Sudhir Ruparelia, had encroached on a wetland at Katabi in Entebbe.
He said the destruction of wetlands spelt doom to the fishing industry, one of the country’s top foreign-exchange earners because swamps are breeding grounds for fish.
“These people are killing the life in the lake and the economic benefits we are deriving for posterity.
“This is where you find papyrus and where fish migrate to lay eggs, they do not breed in the deep waters of the lake,’’ Isoke said.
He was speaking in his office ahead of the meeting of the heads of NEMA, Lake Victoria Environment Management Project and Fisheries Research Institute to discuss the proposed probe.
Rosebud representatives were not available for comment.
Sources at NEMA said the farm had illegally encroached on protected land.
Paul Mafabi, the assistant commissioner of wetlands, said that on Oct 22 they came across what is referred to as “Rosebud two.â€
Mafabi said Rosebud had illegally encroached on Lutembe bay, which is the largest global sanctuary for migratory birds, the White-winged Black Terns.
He blamed the destruction on weak laws, saying the encroachment was being done with impunity.
Baguma said Government owns the wetlands on behalf of the people of Uganda and that even the colonial government and agreements respected swamps and wetlands.
“We do not even allow fishermen in the breeding grounds,’’ he added.
However, he said investors who owned land near the swamps were taking advantage of the weak institutions to reclaim the swamps.
“We have to investigate how the land was acquired because Mailo land does not touch the shores of the lake,’’ he said.
He said the country needs sustainable development without destroying the ecosystem and other sectors of the economy.
He added that investments that degrade the environment are bad.
“The fish factories should take interest in this because the gains in flower farming will destroy the fish,’’ he said.
STATE minister for Lands Baguma Isoke has called for a probe into the rampant encroachment on Lake Victoria wetlands by flower firms.
He also vowed to petition President Yoweri Museveni to intervene, saying the investors can cultivate their flowers outside the swamps.
This follows reports by the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) that Rosebud, a flower firm owned by Sudhir Ruparelia, had encroached on a wetland at Katabi in Entebbe.
He said the destruction of wetlands spelt doom to the fishing industry, one of the country’s top foreign-exchange earners because swamps are breeding grounds for fish.
“These people are killing the life in the lake and the economic benefits we are deriving for posterity.
“This is where you find papyrus and where fish migrate to lay eggs, they do not breed in the deep waters of the lake,’’ Isoke said.
He was speaking in his office ahead of the meeting of the heads of NEMA, Lake Victoria Environment Management Project and Fisheries Research Institute to discuss the proposed probe.
Rosebud representatives were not available for comment.
Sources at NEMA said the farm had illegally encroached on protected land.
Paul Mafabi, the assistant commissioner of wetlands, said that on Oct 22 they came across what is referred to as “Rosebud two.â€
Mafabi said Rosebud had illegally encroached on Lutembe bay, which is the largest global sanctuary for migratory birds, the White-winged Black Terns.
He blamed the destruction on weak laws, saying the encroachment was being done with impunity.
Baguma said Government owns the wetlands on behalf of the people of Uganda and that even the colonial government and agreements respected swamps and wetlands.
“We do not even allow fishermen in the breeding grounds,’’ he added.
However, he said investors who owned land near the swamps were taking advantage of the weak institutions to reclaim the swamps.
“We have to investigate how the land was acquired because Mailo land does not touch the shores of the lake,’’ he said.
He said the country needs sustainable development without destroying the ecosystem and other sectors of the economy.
He added that investments that degrade the environment are bad.
“The fish factories should take interest in this because the gains in flower farming will destroy the fish,’’ he said.