GIRLS FOR CLIMATE ACTION STATEMENT ON THE STATUS OF INDUSTRIAL WATER POLLUTION IN BUIKWE DISTRICT
HOLDING POLLUTERS ACCOUNTABLE: URGENT ACTION NEEDED TO PROTECT WATER RESOURCES
Introduction
Water is a fundamental human right and an essential resource for both social and economic development. According to Article XIV of the National Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy in the Ugandan Constitution, and the Water Act (Cap 152), every individual has the right to access clean and safe water. Furthermore, under Objective XXVII (The Environment), the state is mandated to promote sustainable development, raise environmental awareness, and take measures to prevent the destruction of natural resources, including water bodies.
However, these legal provisions are being grossly violated by industrial polluters in Buikwe District, particularly in Njeru, where companies continue to discharge untreated industrial effluent into the River Nile and its tributary streams. This reckless pollution is not only harming aquatic ecosystems but also threatening the livelihoods of communities that rely on these water sources for drinking, farming, and fishing.
The Scale of the Problem
The River Nile sustains over 200 million people across eleven Nile Basin countries, yet it is currently facing severe pollution from industrial waste. Companies operating in Njeru are discharging hazardous waste into both the Nile and adjacent streams, endangering communities that depend on these waters for domestic use and agriculture.
Since 2022, Girls for Climate Action, in collaboration with women activists in Buikwe District, has been advocating for justice, demanding accountability from polluting industries. In response to formal complaints and community-led protests regarding pollution by Pramukh Steel Plant in Naminya, Njeru, the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) issued an executive order on November 22, 2024, to cease operations until proper environmental compliance measures were implemented.
Regulatory Failures and Continued Pollution
Despite this directive, Pramukh Steel Plant and other industries resumed operations after a brief closure of just one week, failing to meet the compliance requirements set by NEMA. The ongoing discharge of untreated industrial waste into water sources continues to put local communities at risk, causing irreparable damage to ecosystems and biodiversity.
NEMA’s directives outlined several urgent measures that these industries were required to undertake before resuming operations:
- Provision of Safe Drinking Water: Pramukh Steel Ltd and Victoria Nile Plastics Ltd were required to construct a drinking water well for the community to replace contaminated water sources. The contractor was to be identified by November 22, 2024, with completion set within a month.
- Compliance Assurance: Companies were required to ensure full compliance with environmental regulations by the end of November 2024.
- Waste Management: Immediate removal of industrial waste from water sources.
- Air Quality Monitoring: Companies were directed to conduct air quality analysis and install air monitoring systems.
- Ecosystem Restoration: Restoration of eroded riverbanks due to chemical-induced soil degradation.
- Compensation: Affected women whose livestock perished due to water contamination were to receive compensation.
To date, none of these directives have been implemented, and the factories continue to pollute, posing significant environmental and public health risks.
Our Demands
Girls for Climate Action, alongside affected communities, demands the following immediate actions:
- Proper Wastewater Treatment: All industries must fully treat wastewater before discharge into Naava and Misiri streams to prevent contamination of the Nile and underground water sources.
- Urgent Infrastructure Improvements: Pramukh Steel Ltd, Modern Distillers, and Victoria Nile Plastics must expedite the construction of proper wastewater treatment and drainage channels to prevent further pollution.
- Ecosystem Restoration: Companies must take responsibility for rehabilitating degraded riverbanks and damaged ecosystems to allow natural biodiversity to recover.
- Hiring of Environmental Experts: All industries must employ qualified environmental experts to ensure compliance with environmental regulations.
- Site Planning and Regulation Enforcement: Government authorities must review and strictly enforce site planning regulations to ensure industries are equipped with adequate space for wastewater management and recycling technologies.
- Immediate Compliance Enforcement: NEMA and relevant agencies must ensure industries comply with all environmental directives before they are allowed to continue operations.
The ongoing pollution of the River Nile and its tributaries in Buikwe District is a clear violation of Uganda’s environmental laws and policies. Failure to act now will lead to irreversible damage to vital water resources, endangering human lives, biodiversity, and livelihoods.
Girls for Climate Action stands firm in its call for accountability. We urge the Ugandan government, regulatory bodies, and civil society to take immediate action against industrial polluters. Until clear and verifiable compliance measures are met, it remains neither legal nor safe for these industries to operate.
We demand justice for affected communities. We demand accountability. We demand action.