Uganda loses land as River Semliki shifts
May 23, 2010
WHEN Lydia Kobusingye, 28, was a teenager a decade ago, paying money to go for work was never heard of in this western border district of Ntoroko. <br>Kobusingye recalls she would wake up, pick her hoe and walk to the garden, just a few metres away.
By Gerald Tenywa
WHEN Lydia Kobusingye, 28, was a teenager a decade ago, paying money to go for work was never heard of in this western border district of Ntoroko.
Kobusingye recalls she would wake up, pick her hoe and walk to the garden, just a few metres away.
But things have since changed. Three years ago, River Semliki burst its banks and shifted further deep into Kobusingye’s village of Rukorra, separating her house from her farmland.
“I stay in Uganda but I have to cross the river to dig in the DR Congo,†she says. “It is hard to get sh500 every day for a return journey to the DR Congo across the river.â€
Her fingers firmly clutching a basket of sweet potatoes, Kobusingye breathes heavily, bends over and rests her harvest on the ground. She turns and looks at the treacherous river as if it has the answer.
“Can you imagine I have to pay another sh100,000 as rent for my own land, which is now in the hands of the Congolese authorities,†she says. “It is not our fault that the river shifted.â€
Amos Mugisa, the LC1 of Rukorra in Bweramule sub-county, Ntoroko, says the shifting of River Semliki has reduced the territory under his charge by about five square kilometres.
“We have tiny pieces of land, but the people who cross to cultivate their land face harassment from the authorities in DR Congo,†he says: “The land is now controlled by King Rutahaba and his people have imposed a levy on cultivation.
“At the time of harvesting, the “Ugandan land†is given away in case one fails to pay the money or surrender a cow and goat in return for permission to cultivate the land for one year.â€
Negative impact
Currently, there is a likelihood that Rukorra Township, a few metres away from Semliki, will soon be cut off from the rest of Uganda. The township houses about 300 people.
Although the river has continued to run through Bweramule sub county in the past three years, it has been gradually widening its banks since mid 1980s.
Because of the advancing River Semliki, a mast belonging to Uganda Telecommunications Limited was relocated one-and-half kilometres away.
According to Hassan Mukasa, the vice chairperson of Rwebisengo sub-county, in 1986 the mast stood two kilometres away from the river, but by 2004, the distance had reduced to only 10 metres.
The river erodes over 10 metres of Uganda’s territory annually at various parts, according to a recent report from the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA).
The report points out that in the past 10 years, the width of the river could have doubled.
Semliki River, which originates from Lake Edward, with some of its tributaries from the Rwenzori mountains and the DRC, on its 140km journey, flows through the Rwenzori foothills and pours into Lake Albert.
The river is also depositing silt in Lake Albert destroying breeding grounds of fish.
Loss of borders
Probably, the colonialists had not anticipated the river would gradually change it’s course.
That is why they agreed that Semliki should be the recognised boundary separating Uganda and the DR Congo. The shifting of the river is now creating a puzzle on the borders.
Although, the two countries have not had disputes over the changing border in Ntoroko, the locals’ complaints are the initial signs that the conflict could emerge.
“This involves loss of territories and the two countries should start talking about the issue,†says Dr. Aryamanya Mugisha, the NEMA director.
Why change in flow?
NEMA, the environmental watchdog, blames the changes in the flow patterns on the increased volumes of water flowing into the river. “This has increased the pressure on the banks cutting away tracts of land,†he says.
He says in some areas, the DR Congo has also lost its territory, but not as much as what Uganda has lost.
“Overgrazing in Ntoroko has also weakened parts of the river banks making them prone to erosion,†says Mugisha.
In addition, the melting of the glaciers on Mountain Rwenzori because of global warming has increased the volume of water in the river, according to Mugisha.
The ice cap on top of the mountain has reduced from six square kilometres to less than one square kilometre in the last half a century, researchers say.
Addressing the causes
The Chinese built the great wall to protect themselves against their enemies, but in Ntoroko, Uganda is hoping to raise a great green wall to hold against the erosive river.
“We have restricted the use of land in a distance of 100 metres from the river,†says Jockus Maate, the district environment officer. “The communities are no longer allowed to graze or cultivate along the river banks.â€
The local communities have been mobilised into committees to help fence off the restricted area and stop intrusion by cattle.
“This strip near the water has been left intact, tree planting and agro-forestry is allowed in the strips that follow and the outer strip is left for cultivation,†Maate says.
The National Transboundary Environment Action Plan, a Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) project, provided $29,000 (sh60m). The programme is an initiative of the 10 countries in the Nile Basin. NBI is currently guiding countries on how to cooperate and manage River Nile and its tributaries and formulate a water policy in the countries.
However, the restoration activities have covered five kilometers out of 60km that NEMA considers the worst affected part of the river banks.
History and oil exploration
During the colonial era, parts of Ntoroko were gazetted as protected areas namely Semliki National Park and Toro-Semliki Wildlife Reserve.
The rest of the areas were controlled hunting areas, which were degazetted in the past decade. This vast area was used by the Toro kings for hunting expeditions.
Ntoroko is also the ancestral origin of some of Toro’s queen mothers, including Best Kemigisha, the mother of the reigning King Oyo.
Initial exploration for oil was conducted at Rwebisengo five years ago. More exploration activities are expected to be undertaken in Toro-Semliki Wildlife Reserve.
As Semliki slowly mauls away at Kobusingye’s land, there is need to tame it because further shifting of the river has wider implications.
“We need to address the causes of the shifting river and that is why we have mobilised people to plant trees and restore the degraded banks,†says Mugisha.
WHEN Lydia Kobusingye, 28, was a teenager a decade ago, paying money to go for work was never heard of in this western border district of Ntoroko.
Kobusingye recalls she would wake up, pick her hoe and walk to the garden, just a few metres away.
But things have since changed. Three years ago, River Semliki burst its banks and shifted further deep into Kobusingye’s village of Rukorra, separating her house from her farmland.
“I stay in Uganda but I have to cross the river to dig in the DR Congo,†she says. “It is hard to get sh500 every day for a return journey to the DR Congo across the river.â€
Her fingers firmly clutching a basket of sweet potatoes, Kobusingye breathes heavily, bends over and rests her harvest on the ground. She turns and looks at the treacherous river as if it has the answer.
“Can you imagine I have to pay another sh100,000 as rent for my own land, which is now in the hands of the Congolese authorities,†she says. “It is not our fault that the river shifted.â€
Amos Mugisa, the LC1 of Rukorra in Bweramule sub-county, Ntoroko, says the shifting of River Semliki has reduced the territory under his charge by about five square kilometres.
“We have tiny pieces of land, but the people who cross to cultivate their land face harassment from the authorities in DR Congo,†he says: “The land is now controlled by King Rutahaba and his people have imposed a levy on cultivation.
“At the time of harvesting, the “Ugandan land†is given away in case one fails to pay the money or surrender a cow and goat in return for permission to cultivate the land for one year.â€
Negative impact
Currently, there is a likelihood that Rukorra Township, a few metres away from Semliki, will soon be cut off from the rest of Uganda. The township houses about 300 people.
Although the river has continued to run through Bweramule sub county in the past three years, it has been gradually widening its banks since mid 1980s.
Because of the advancing River Semliki, a mast belonging to Uganda Telecommunications Limited was relocated one-and-half kilometres away.
According to Hassan Mukasa, the vice chairperson of Rwebisengo sub-county, in 1986 the mast stood two kilometres away from the river, but by 2004, the distance had reduced to only 10 metres.
The river erodes over 10 metres of Uganda’s territory annually at various parts, according to a recent report from the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA).
The report points out that in the past 10 years, the width of the river could have doubled.
Semliki River, which originates from Lake Edward, with some of its tributaries from the Rwenzori mountains and the DRC, on its 140km journey, flows through the Rwenzori foothills and pours into Lake Albert.
The river is also depositing silt in Lake Albert destroying breeding grounds of fish.
Loss of borders
Probably, the colonialists had not anticipated the river would gradually change it’s course.
That is why they agreed that Semliki should be the recognised boundary separating Uganda and the DR Congo. The shifting of the river is now creating a puzzle on the borders.
Although, the two countries have not had disputes over the changing border in Ntoroko, the locals’ complaints are the initial signs that the conflict could emerge.
“This involves loss of territories and the two countries should start talking about the issue,†says Dr. Aryamanya Mugisha, the NEMA director.
Why change in flow?
NEMA, the environmental watchdog, blames the changes in the flow patterns on the increased volumes of water flowing into the river. “This has increased the pressure on the banks cutting away tracts of land,†he says.
He says in some areas, the DR Congo has also lost its territory, but not as much as what Uganda has lost.
“Overgrazing in Ntoroko has also weakened parts of the river banks making them prone to erosion,†says Mugisha.
In addition, the melting of the glaciers on Mountain Rwenzori because of global warming has increased the volume of water in the river, according to Mugisha.
The ice cap on top of the mountain has reduced from six square kilometres to less than one square kilometre in the last half a century, researchers say.
Addressing the causes
The Chinese built the great wall to protect themselves against their enemies, but in Ntoroko, Uganda is hoping to raise a great green wall to hold against the erosive river.
“We have restricted the use of land in a distance of 100 metres from the river,†says Jockus Maate, the district environment officer. “The communities are no longer allowed to graze or cultivate along the river banks.â€
The local communities have been mobilised into committees to help fence off the restricted area and stop intrusion by cattle.
“This strip near the water has been left intact, tree planting and agro-forestry is allowed in the strips that follow and the outer strip is left for cultivation,†Maate says.
The National Transboundary Environment Action Plan, a Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) project, provided $29,000 (sh60m). The programme is an initiative of the 10 countries in the Nile Basin. NBI is currently guiding countries on how to cooperate and manage River Nile and its tributaries and formulate a water policy in the countries.
However, the restoration activities have covered five kilometers out of 60km that NEMA considers the worst affected part of the river banks.
History and oil exploration
During the colonial era, parts of Ntoroko were gazetted as protected areas namely Semliki National Park and Toro-Semliki Wildlife Reserve.
The rest of the areas were controlled hunting areas, which were degazetted in the past decade. This vast area was used by the Toro kings for hunting expeditions.
Ntoroko is also the ancestral origin of some of Toro’s queen mothers, including Best Kemigisha, the mother of the reigning King Oyo.
Initial exploration for oil was conducted at Rwebisengo five years ago. More exploration activities are expected to be undertaken in Toro-Semliki Wildlife Reserve.
As Semliki slowly mauls away at Kobusingye’s land, there is need to tame it because further shifting of the river has wider implications.
“We need to address the causes of the shifting river and that is why we have mobilised people to plant trees and restore the degraded banks,†says Mugisha.