Joyce Namugambe
Following the increasing encroachment in the wetlands around the country, Cultural leaders in Lango sub region have challenged government to clearly demarcate all wetlands and swamps in the area so that they are protected from further encroachment and discouraging those who have already encroached into it.
The wetlands that have been encroached into are in five out of seven districts, being in Ayer subcounty in Kole, Subcounty in Kwania, Opali subcounty in Amolatar, Ibuje subcounty in Apac, Kwera and Adekinino Subcounties in Dokolo.
The minister of lands and physical planning under Lango cultural Foundation Dickens Odongo Wacio expressed concern over the swamps which are dying away due to increased encroachment. He noted the heavy encroachment is due to the fact that before cattle rustling, there were no homes as the swamps were used for grazing cattle, but after cattle rustling, people lost most of their cattle.
He noted that people are now building in wetlands and as the population is increasing, there is pressure on land, forcing them to encroach into wetlands. He added that most parts of Lango do not get adequate rain due to the drying swamps that have affected the rain pattern.
Odongo noted that Lango cultural Foundation continues to discourage people from encroaching in wetlands and at the same time calls upon government to clearly mark the wetlands as away of stopping people from encroaching into them.
One of the residents of Ibuje subcounty, Apac district Santa Ejack stated that they are finding it hard to graze the little cattle that they remained with ever since people started encraoching the swamps. He added that they also face challenges getting drinking water, thereby calling upon goverment to demarcate wetlands.
Another resident in Ibuje John Olum expressed dessatisfaction towards the government for gazatting their customary land as awetland which they were using to graze their cattle, saying that it is not a wetland.
The district environment officer Haron Okullu noted that 18% of the wetlands in the area have been encroached and every year, they receive over 20 complaints of encroachment on the 44,290 of land in Apac district, which is covered by wetlands.
The district natural resource officer in Dokolo district Rajab Epilla stated that out of 1780 square kilometres of the district, 750 square kilometres are covered with wetlands
