Oil refinery land surrounding communities plead for environmental sensitivity

Women under the Oil Refinery Residents Association (ORRA), attend a meeting over concerns of tree clearing in the surrounding oil refinery land at Nyahaira Village in Kabaale Sub-county, Hoima District. (Photo: Gad Asaba)

Communities of Nyahaira Village surrounding the land acquired to host a proposed oil refinery in Kabale Sub-county, Hoima District, fear that before long they will experience harsh weather changing patterns due to indiscriminate tree clearing in the area.

Under their umbrella connotation of Oil Refinery Residents Association (ORRA), the residents decry the manner in which trees were unrestrainedly cleared, exposing the area to severe future environmental changes.

During their meeting, the residents feared that coupled with fumes from the refinery chimneys once oil extraction begins, it will inexorably be environmentally disastrous through carbon emissions that will plummet from the atmosphere and equally prove tragic to human life.  

Ms Darlison Kyalisiima says leaving the land bare attracts unpredictable and inescapable weather changes in a little while; even affecting arable farming in the area, save for oil.

Sound bite: Kyalisiima on tree clearing (Runyoro/Rutooro)

The Nyahaira village chairman, Mr Emmanuel Odimu, observes that since the inception of the refinery undertakings and the current construction of Hoima International Airport, many environmental degrading activities are feasible in form of tree felling.

He cautions that this will subject communities in the surrounding areas to unhealthy conditions including austere heat.

The politician suggests to relevant government authorities to always inform from the onset any project host communities of the positive and negative effects in chorus during their sensitisation campaigns.

Mr Odimu calls for government intervention before actual realisation of the aftermath of environmental destruction adding that although local leaders advise people to plant trees, it becomes hard to effect since they have small plots of land.

Sound bite: Odimu on tree clearing (English)

Mr Christopher Opio, the ORRA General Coordinator, urges appropriate government officials to meet and teach the affected persons about the negative and positive impacts likely to come along with the project to help them employ possible solutions to the problems.

He also suggests that government departmental technocrats should advise the affected people about the tree species they should plant to absorb the fumes that will be billowing and plunging from the oil refinery chimneys and atmosphere respectively so they can sink the greenhouse gas for a healthy life and environment.

Sound bite: Opiyo on government (English)
A man under ORRA emphasises a point during a meeting at Nyahaira Village in Kabaale Sub-county, Hoima District. (Photo: Gad Asaba)

To assuage environmental destruction, Mr Steven Pimundu, also resident of the area craves for government provision of tree seedlings for planting to save the environment from being affected by the resource that will bring in the petrodollar.

Sound bite: Pimundu on tree clearing (Runyoro/Rutooro)

The Petroleum Authority of Uganda (PAU) continues advising people to plant indigenous trees that absorb carbon from the atmosphere.

The advice has so far been taken up by some farmers in Hoima and the neighbouring Masindi district.

This website reported in 2020 that Ms Beatrice Ahimbisibwe, a farmer in Hoima said she developed the idea of tree farming that she started practicing in 2003 after seeing farmers earn big from carbon sales.

She revealed that she grows species like Ficus called “Omutoma” in Runyoro, prynas, tanaira and fagara recommended for carbon credits and best for carbon sequestration.

Carbon sequestration is a process in which trees, shrubs and organic matter like soil remove and store carbon from the atmosphere.

After farmers have grown indigenous trees, clients of carbon calculate the growth and storage of carbon over time to accurately depict the carbon sequestration rate of the trees.

The clients pay according to the carbon credits discovered in the trees.

Mr Peter Nyeko, a Masindi-based farmer and a member of the Hoima Tree For Global Benefit (TGB) Farmers Group says he also engages in planting trees for carbon revealing that in less than 10 years he had earned Shs3.2b from carbon sales.

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