Residents protest investor’s move to divert lake water for rice growing in Lwera 

Residents from different villages in Bukulula Sub-county, Kalungu District are up in arms over a move by Chinese investors to divert water from a key catchment area of Lake Victoria to create space for rice growing.
The rice project in Lwera is managed by a Chinese firm, Zhong Industries Limited.

The section of the Lake which is yet to be encroached upon, covers the landing sites of Bulingo and Kalangala.
According to residents from villages, including Bulingo A, B, Kalangala and Kamugombwa who derive their livelihoods from Lake Victoria, Zhong Industries Limited which grows rice in the spacious Lwera swamp, is plotting to extend its rice fields to cover  the lake’s catchment area, measuring approximately  four square miles.

Mr Edward Bbaale, a fisherman at Bulingo landing site said encroachment on the lake shores by the said investors has already started and heavy machinery are already on ground  .
“They've already mapped the lake along the swampy shoreline and they want to establish a murrum barrier to block the stream that links the swamp to the lake and later pump the water off this basin to start rice growing,” he said in an interview on Tuesday.
  
He further stressed that encroaching on the lake’s shoreline is illegal because it habours the breeding grounds for fish and it is not part of Lwera wetland system which was originally allocated for rice growing.
Ms Maria Nabukeera, a fish dealer in Lukaya Town Council, said that if Lake Victoria is drained, thousands of fish and other aquatic animals like the wetland antelopes and others will die in the process.
“The fish caught from there are supporting several homesteads as their key source of livelihood; we challenge our leaders to stand with us in this fight to save our environment and all families which survive on the lake.” she said.

Mr Bazadde Kaweesi , the chairperson of Bukulula Sub-county called upon authorities who are supposed to monitor the activities of  the Chinese company to deter it from causing serious ecological disaster  by stopping it from diverting water which flows into  the lake.

“It’s unfortunate that local leaders are not involved in whatever is being done here but according to what we have seen, it is very unfortunate that authorities like National Environment Management Authority (Nema) are just looking on,”he said.     
Mr Victor Mpinga, the project’s community liaison and communications officer of Zhong Industries Limited, said that they have no plan of encroaching on the lake.

 “It is true the company has been expanding its fields, but we’re doing it within specified limits. Even local people are growing sweet potatoes on the shores of the lake; that’s what we are also planning to do with rice,”he noted.
Rice growing in Lwera wetland along Kampala – Masaka highway by the Chinese firm started in 2015 on a commercial basis. The company has  since then been expanding its fields.  

Lwera swamp stretches about 20kms on the busy Kampala–Masaka highway, and is a major water catchment area that connects several rivers and wetlands in Gomba, Mpigi and Kalungu districts and drains directly into the Lake.

While launching the Anti-littering campaign dubbed: “Yonja Uganda” in September 2023, at Lukaya Town Council in Kalungu District, Dr Barirega Akankwasa ,the Nema Executive Director said several complaints had been registered against rice growing in Lwera and that there were technicalities that needed to be rectified before he pledged to engage the district leadership.

He also vowed that Nema would not renew permits of companies currently mining sand in Lwera. Although over 10 sand mining companies are currently operating in Lwera, only two companies; Capital Estates and Seroma Uganda Limited have valid permits, according to Dr  Akankwasa.