What to do for oil pipeline

By Samuel Okulony

As Uganda seeks to maximise her oil proceeds from the industry, the Government is finalising with plans to construct an oil refinery in Buseruka sub county in Hoima district and oil pipelines to facilitate both supplying the refinery and crude oil export pipeline.

These developments will take place in biodiversity sensitive areas thus require a detailed Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) where people are actively involved in public hearings. According to the National Environment Act, Chapter 153, all projects under the third schedule are mandated to go through full EIA process.

An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) therefore the process of evaluating the likely environmental impacts of a proposed project or development, taking into account inter-related socio-economic, cultural and human-health impacts, both beneficial and adverse of the project. It is a tool used worldwide meant to that guides decision makers assess the viability of the project on a given location.

The projected development of the oil pipeline is expected to crisscross several districts in the Albertine connecting different oil wells to the Central Processing Facility (CPF). And from the CPF, crude oil will be pumped to the gathering manifold at Kabaale in Hoima by pipeline at which point it will be supplied to both the oil Refinery in Buseruka sub county Hoima district and crude oil export pipeline to Lamu Port in Kenya as required.

It should be noted that these pipelines will pass through the biodiversity rich Kabwoya and Bugungu wildlife reserve located at the base of the Albetine Rift Valley, and through Lake Albert where huge amount of water will be extracted, then 1.5 Km crossing River Nile. Currently Lake Albert supports over 90% of local communities inform of transport, water and fish for domestic consumption while River Nile supports more than five countries in North Africa. Moreover, in case of an oil spill, it will affect both the fish stocks and water supply while all countries in northern Africa supported by River Nile will have devastating impacts.

The wildlife in protected areas will be stressed when animal migration routes, breeding places and grazing patterns are interrupted and this may result into their extinction. While for the communities within the pipeline corridor will be displaced from their ancestral settlements to pave way for construction commences, this stands to accelerate land wrangles and conflicts that are already biting the country.

Although the pipeline will be constructed underground that’s one meter below the surface, only shallow rooted light crops can be planted on top. Moreover, a number of surface installations like pumps, valves and small generator stations along the pipeline route that will be installed having their own designations and fenced plots; this will limit major economic activity in the area including subsistence agriculture hence subjecting communities to household hungers, as people’s ability to produce food will be constrained.

Carrying out detailed EIA can enable policy makers address the social, cultural and vulnerable concerns of the people and building consensus with them. It can also help device strategies to enable affected communities adapt their new environments especially for vulnerable groups of people while alternative pipeline route especially from sensitive biodiversity areas can be explored, this will make coming up with practicable mitigation measures feasible.

National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) is an autonomous institution mandated under Chapter 153 of the National Environment Act to manage, coordinate, monitor and supervise all activities in the field of the environment, they must ensure that detailed EIA are carried out and mitigation measure implemented. While Civil Society Organisations (CSO) must strengthen the capacity of the public to both demand and participate in the EIA process for Uganda to develop an environmentally sustainable oil pipeline in Uganda.

The writer is the programmes and research coordinator/environmentalist with Africa Institute for Energy Governance