Locals up in arms as waste spills into Buikwe water source

Residents of Njeru Municipality in Buikwe District at the weekend protested over the alleged continuous release of industrial waste from Pramukh Steel Factory into a well, which they said is their only water source. The well is commonly known as Naava.

The locals held placards calling for an end to the pollution of the water source that serves the villages of Naminya, Bujowali, and Naluwere.

Pramukh Factory is accused of discharging waste, including faeces and other industrial pollutants, into wells and wetlands in Njeru.

However, the legal officer of Pramukh Steel Factory, Mr Francis Baganzi, said they held a meeting where they agreed to solve the problem by fixing pipes that were wrongly fixed and those that were no longer in use.

He said other companies are discharging water into obsolete lines that are no longer in use by the municipal council.

“We are going to roll out those lines such that when water is being channelled, it does not go through the obselete lines,” he said. Residents, including Ms Alice Mudondo, accuse the factory of polluting the well.

Concerns

“Having a factory that cannot manage its waste is very harmful to human life and dangerous to the community,” Ms Mudondo said. Another resident, Ms Halima Nakigozi, said the water has greenish and smelly, making it difficult for them to access clean water for a better livelihood.

“We don’t have boreholes or taps in our area and Naava is the only source of water that we have depended on for all our lives,” she said at the weekend. Ms Nabirye Hadjah, also a resident of Naminya Village, called on relevant authorities, including the National Environment Management Authority (Nema), and Njeru leaders to intervene.

Ms Viola Kataike, the head of Girls for Environment Action, said factories in Njeru are not managing their waste, which impacts humans, animals, and the environment. Ms Rose Azayo, a member of the Naminya Village Health Team-VHT, said there is a need to curb pollution because there are increasing cases of residents suffering from dysentery, asthma, infections and sicknesses induced by exposure to pollutants and consumption of dirty and or contaminated water.

Ms Diana Mutasingwa Kagyenyi, the state minister in the office of the Vice President and also the Buikwe District Woman MP, urged Pramukh Steel and Victoria Nile Plastics Limited on proper waste management when she inspected some factories in Njeru last Wednesday