The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) maintains that it will continue evicting ecosystem encroachers using legally acceptable methods to ensure that the environment is not degraded and that natural resources are utilised sustainably.
The Authority says operations against environmental degraders will continue in order to save humanity from environmental catastrophe, the fact that it has indefinitely suspended the issuance of permission for developments in wetlands to build government capacity to regulate activities in the quickly diminishing resource.
“We call upon all people who have illegally settled or established developments in fragile ecosystems like wetlands, hilly and mountainous areas, forests and wildlife protected areas to vacate voluntarily before enforcement operations extend to them,” it says.
In today (Wednesday’s) statement, the Authority reiterates that government appeals to all illegal settlers in critical ecosystems such as wetlands and forests to vacate voluntarily adding that the message is being disseminated through various channels including sustained campaigns in the media, physical engagements with communities and their political, religious and cultural leaders.
“The president has on several occasions addressed the nation and called upon illegal encroachers on fragile ecosystems to vacate unconditionally in order to save and restore these fragile systems for the benefit of the people,” NEMA says.
Adding: “If the current rate of wetland degradation is not tackled immediately, we risk losing wetland cover from the current 8.9% to 1.6% by 2020.”
The Authority refutes claims that it is selective in its operations to crack down on environment criminals after sections of the public insinuated that enforcement for environmental crimes targets low income earners and they are not given adequate notice to vacate wetlands.
The claim was a result of the Authority in partnership with the Ministry of Water and Environment with support from the Environment Protection Police Unit and the Uganda People’s Defence Forces undertook an exercise to restore the degraded Lubigi wetland.
“We wish to clarify that our operations target all people who offend the law without discrimination.”
The Authority says encroachers on Lubigi were given 21 days to vacate the wetland or face the law after engaging them in environmental sensitisation campaigns.
The statement says for every Restoration Order there is always a window to seek legal redress before the actual enforcement, should there be merit.
“It is therefore not true that people were evicted from Lubigi without sufficient notice. The argument that only the poor are targeted is also absolutely baseless. Among those affected by the enforcement at Lubigi included manufacturing facilities of construction materials, timber processing plants, taxi parks, heavy trucks and earth moving equipment yards, settlement and gardens,” NEMA says.
