By Sylvia
The Fort Portal Tourism City has started a process of gazetting all its major wetlands with the sole aim of safe guarding them against encroachers.
Samuel Musana the Fort Portal Tourism City senior Physical Planner, says that so far, a total of Thirty seven (37)wetlands have been earmarked and gazzeted.
Why the gazetting at this particular Time
As a tourism city, Musana stresses that the preservation of the environment is very paramount.
To those who had already encroached on the wetlands, Musana disclosed that enforcement letters have already been written to them.
Musana, stresses that the conservation of the environment requires a collective effort of all stakeholders.
As council, He stated that they are currently very sensitive while approving development plans, adding that a number of development plans that threaten the ecosystem have been rejected.
He further explained the difference between a wetland and a water catchment area where he advised all wetland encroachers to vacate them voluntarily.
Council challenged with encroachers
Edison Asaba Ruyonga, the Fort Portal Tourism City mayor says that although some of the wetland encroachers have before been dragged to courts of law, council has been losing court cases due to the fact that the wetlands were not gazzeted.
