Staff Reporter
At least 450 hectares of depleted wetland in Ntungamo district will be restored through a United Nations Population Fund project aimed at reducing environmental degradation.
The restoration began on Thursday, with district officials and local residents filling trenches in the Rwoho wetland, located in Rwoho Town Council. The project will cover three wards—Kirera, Kitojo, and Mushasha—as part of efforts to rehabilitate the Rwoho-Kyabwato wetland, which has been severely impacted by human activities.
Ms. Dinah Tumwebaze, Ntungamo District’s Natural Resources Officer, stated that the initiative started with sensitizing the community and the project-affected individuals. The project focuses on three key objectives: restoring the wetland, providing early warning systems for farmers, and offering alternative livelihoods.
However, she noted that this restoration is only a small step, as around 80,000 hectares of wetland have been degraded in the district.
Speaking at the launch of the restoration project in Kirera, Ntungamo Resident District Commissioner Mr. Isaiah Byarugaba Kanyamahane urged residents to take action against those responsible for the degradation, stressing that the effects first impact the local community before affecting the government and the nation.
The restoration is part of an ongoing eight-year project, “Building Resilient Communities, Wetland Ecosystems, and Associated Catchments in Uganda,” which concludes this financial year. Since its inception in 2017, the project has restored at least 630 hectares of wetlands across the district.
