Wakiso district starts demarcation of wetlands

Wakiso, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Wakiso district natural resources department has started demarcation of wetlands to curb rampant encroachment. The exercise will involve resurveying wetland boundaries by planting trees and erecting pillars.

More than 1,000 trees have so far been planted in Simbamannyo wetland Magogo parish.

Rebecca Sabaganzi, the district natural resources officer says that they are planting the trees in a distance of 50 meters from where cultivation should start although the water table in some parts of the district is too high and people’s crops are destroyed because of the rising water levels.

Mugenyi Safian the district forest officer says that following the planting of trees as boundaries, encroachment on Simbamannyo wetland has stopped.

Safian however says that the government should fund the planting of the trees.

David Nsubuga, a resident says that demarcation will help the community know the boundary of the wetland. He says in the past, it was hard to convince people not to encroach on a wetland without a stone mark and demarcation.

Ronald Nsubuga, the chairperson for Wakiso district natural resources committee says that lack of enough manpower and resources had hampered their efforts to keep wetlands free from encroachers.

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