KALAKI, July 30, 2024 – The leadership of Kalaki district has launched a comprehensive wetland demarcation exercise aimed at protecting the wetlands from encroachment.
The ongoing wetland demarcation exercise started in Ofundi village, Ipenet parish Ocelekura Sub-county.
Julius Odeke the District Communication Officer Kalaki said the wetland demarcation exercise follows an intensive community sensitisation campaign carried out by the Natural Resources Department in conjunction with Environment Office to educate locals about the benefits of wetland demarcation.
Odeke, affirmed the community’s willingness to support authorities in this crucial environmental preservation endeavor.
on his part, Kalaki District Natural Resources Officer, Johnson Erienyu said the wetland demarcation exercise which involves retracing boundaries between wetlands and community land will cover all the wetlands across the district.
The demarcation of wetland boundaries will be done using concrete pillars and Global Positioning System [GPS].
According to Erienyu, the exercise comes at the backdrop of continued encroachment and degradation of the available wetland covers owing to population pressure and human activities.
He explained that the demarcation of wetland boundaries is in line with the executive order issued by President Museveni to district leaders across the country to ensure that wetlands are restored.
For her part, Cate Alilim, the Kalaki district Senior Environmental Officer, said the level of wetland degradation in the district stands at over 50 percent, which calls for urgent interventions to restore the integrity of the wetland ecosystems.
“Though wetlands are precious ecological systems, big batches of wetlands especially along the shore of Lake Kyoga have been degraded over the years. This has led to flooding and prolonged dry spell,” noted Alilim.
She highlighted that the district is experiencing prolonged and severe dry spell that affects human beings as well as crop and animal production because of high rate of environmental degradation.
Alilim emphasised the need for locals to protect wetlands, citing they sustain livelihoods and contribute to climate resilience and sinking Carbone, which are part of the Sustainable Development Goals [SDGs].
Meanwhile, Kalaki Chief Administrative Officer [CAO] William Emunyu, advised locals to secure land titles for future reference.
“You to survey your land so that if anything happens, like there are natural resources beneath the lands, then the locals should be able to identify their lands with authentic documentation and thus seek compensation,” Emunyu added.
On his part Assistant Resident District Commissioner Kalaki, Benard Ogolot challenged residents to support the wetland demarcation exercise, saying wetlands need protection to perform their natural functions such as acting as water catchment areas.
He said that Kalaki district is acting in accordance with a Presidential Directive that mandates leaders to ensure the restoration of wetlands.
While addressing the nation recently, President Museveni, underscored the critical importance of protecting environmental assets.
Museveni emphasised that assets such as wetlands, forests, rivers, and lakes, are vital for providing essential life-sustaining resources like air, water, and food, and therefore must be safeguarded.
Community activities carryout in the wetlands include: Farming, grazing of animals, firewood collection, grass harvesting, fishing, water collection, extraction of construction materials [clay for brick making], gathering of crafts and medicinal plants and hunting of wild animals. These activities have several impacts as: Destruction of wildlife, reduction in water quality and quantity, deforestation and increase in soil erosion, landscape destruction, deterioration in soil productivity hence low standards of living due to poverty.
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