FIVE PEOPLE ARRESTED IN ARUA CITY OVER WETLAND ENCROACHMENT

Police ordering the casual laborers to sit down during the arrest at the site. Photo by Godwin Abedican.

By Godwin Abedican  

Arua

Five people are in police custody in Arua central Police station after arrest for wetland encroachment.
 
The 5 among which are 4 casual laborers and another identified as Adoroti Innocent, brother to Dramuke Rhone, said to be the owner of a house under construction in a wetland were picked by a team of the security led by the Deputy Resident City Commissioner in charge of Ayivu Division on Tuesday August 20, 2024, from the construction site located along Ania stream which separates Yapi cell and Alengo cell.
 
Mbigiti Geoffrey Jonah, the Deputy RCC in charge of Ayivu Division warns the public against unscrupulously selling and buying wetlands for development.
 
“Encroachment in wetlands is very rampant in the region of West Nile. This operation is in response to what the president has directed us and it’s the reason why we moved to that area. When I was posted here, I moved around and by that time I saw that building at window level, this was around one and a half years ago. I thought he had been stopped, but I was surprised to see that he has completed the building and now he was at roofing state.  So, I had to take action as office of the RCC,” he said.
 
A case file with reference number 29/20/08/2024 has been opened against the five who shall appear in court to answer to charges of wetland degradation.
According to Mbigiti, they expect the suspects to produce documents proving permission for the works being done.
 
“We have arrested them and at the right moment, that structure will be erased down. We have tasked them to produce the environment impact assessment report, building permit, the approved plan and ownership. We also want to know the person who gave them the land in a wetland. We want to ascertain if there is a land title for the land and any staff who participated in approving such is going to be answerable. We are going to take action so that other people know that encroachment is against the law,” Mbigiti warned.
 
In an earlier interview with Mary Dawaru, the Environment Officer Arua city, she said the city had plans to commence with evictions from wetlands with community engagements.
 
“These activities especially in the wetlands are contributing enormously in a negative way to the water quality that we are using within Arua city and the region. Once somebody has put a permanent house in a buffer zone, it is very hard to convince the person to remove that kind of building from the wetland. For Arua city, we are going to re-do data collection on the various categories of people who are going to be affected by the demarcation or buffer zones and in some cases there will be need for cancelation of titles in case some of the land owned in the wetlands shall be found to have titles,” she said.
 
Section 37 of the National Environment Regulations of 2000 spells out reclaiming or draining of wetlands, constructions in the wetlands, demolishing of tractors fixed in wetlands, disturbing wetlands through drilling or tunneling in a manner that is likely to have an adverse effect on a wetland, deposits in or under a wetland substances likely to have an adverse effect on it, removal of soil from or burning any wetland resources as offences punishable by law.
 
Section 55 of the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) Act of 2009 provides that a person who encroaches on a wetland commits an offence and is liable to imprisonment of up to 12 years or a fine of 600 million shillings.