National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) Executive Director Barirega Akankwasah has defended the Authority’s operation in Lubigi Wetland. Dr. Barirega says their enforcement programs are guided by the law.
The NEMA ED defended the operation while appearing on NBS TV’s Morning Breeze show on Monday morning.
“You don’t go to any place and remove them because you want to. They must have broken the law.” said Barirega.
He noted that the residents in Lubigi had contravened Section 25 of the National Environment Act. Their contravention stems from encroaching on a wetland.He also confirmed that the eviction operations are still going on and won’t be restricted to only Lubigi.
“This is a countrywide exercise aimed at ensuring that we don’t perish as a human race. The rate at which we are destroying the environment is alarming. Therefore we [NEMA] need to rein in and save ourselves from imminent danger.” Barirega said.
NEMA accused of double standards
It’s barely three weeks since NEMA demolished houses in Lubigi Wetland. This exercise saw families in Ganda-Nasere village, Wakiso Subcounty in Wakiso District lose their homes.
The operation by NEMA raised concerns of double standards as a Stabex fuel station and police post were left standing.
But according to Barirega, the Stabex fuel station stands on an area that was a material yard during the construction of the road. Basing on this, the ED says that the fuel station is not guilty of encroaching on the wetland since the place was already dry.
Dr. Barirega also defended other projects that are seen sprouting in wetlands. According to him, for the government to give a developer permission to construct in a wetland, the developer has to satisfy stringent mitigation tasks.
Additionally, he said that NEMA can only evict those that have broken the law and Stabex hasn’t.
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