The Environment watchdog –National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) has restored Nakiyanja wetland in Namugongo ,Wakiso District following syndicated public outcry .
The wetland is the source of “ holy water “ which pilgrims who throng Namugongo shrine every June take home for spiritual healing .
Last week, a team from Nema , police environment protection unit descended on the depleted part of the wetland and started restoring it.
The team dug trenches to allow proper fall of water which had been blocked by the encroachers. Ten kiosks and 30 tonnes of sand were also removed from the wetland.
In a two –page statement, Nema spokesperson Naomi Karekaho ,said their actions were in responsible to public outcry .
“The degradation of the wetland posed a serious risk of flooding and permanent loss of biodiversity,” she noted
She said the operation involved razing illegal structures erected on the site , removing unauthorised businesses that had been set up on the wetland and restoring the degraded areas . The team has collected evidence from the site with a view of taking legal action against the encroachers. “ The suspects behind the illegal activities remain at large , intelligence teams are actively pursuing them to answer for their activities ,’ she said
This publication has established that the wetland is being reclaimed by an Asian investor . It remains to be seen whether Nema will this time round resist external pressures from politicians and save this wetland .
Nakiyanja is one of few surviving wetlands in Greater Kampala . It is a big chain of wetlands whose waters emanate from the foothills of Namilyango Hill in Mukono District .
It feeds into River Ssezibwa ,which flows to Lake Victoria and Lake Kyoga . About 6km south of Nakiyanja is Namanve , a former wetland now occupied by industries . Namanve and adjacent expansive wetlands such as Nakivubo , Kasokoso ,Kansanga and Kinawataka that used to filter the waste from the mainland before it gets into the lake are disappearing thus threatening the existence of Lake Victoria .