The Cabinet has suspended the proposed giveaway of part of Mabira forest to the Mehta Group until the Ministry of Lands formulates a land use policy to spell out the utilisation of such land.
Minister of Water and Environment Maria Mutagamba said yesterday a special cabinet committee headed by Minister of Trade and Industry Janat Mukwaya is also studying the status of Uganda's sugar production to ascertain the country's sugar demand.
"Whatever will come out of these two reports will determine the way forward as far as Mabira Forest is concerned. We are still waiting," Ms Mutagamba said. She said the study would help the government to know the size of the sugar industry, and the local and foreign demand in order to put in place appropriate measures.
The planned giveaway of part of the forest sparked local and international protest. The protests culminated into a bloody riot in Kampala on April 12 that claimed five lives.
Ms Mutagamba told the Ecumenical Water Network conference in Entebbe yesterday that a clear policy is needed to guide the government in pursuing industrialisation. The conference is a gathering of religious leaders working to conserve the environment in Africa. It is organised by the Joint Christian Council and Acode, an NGO. Over 15 African and European countries are represented.
"Today we are handling the Mehta Group, tomorrow it will be someone else. That is why we want a policy that will guide us for the next 50 years and beyond," Ms Mutagamba said.
She, however, said since the construction of Bujagali power project is starting soon, the Kalagala power project that is within the Mabira catchment area has been called off.
She criticised western governments and civil rights groups for preaching to developing countries ideas they [developed] countries don't practice.
"Which developed country has relied on biogas or windmills to industrialise. They talk about tourism in Africa but statistics show that this continent shares only eight percent of the world's tourists. Can these nations compensate the loss we are likely to face if we don't industrialise?" she wondered.
She said the cost of one unit of electricity in Europe is about $4 (Shs7,000) but when citizens of those countries come to Africa they pay less than a dollar per unit.
"One airport in Washington is located in the center of a forest. Fifty acres of forestland were destroyed to construct this airport. But here we are hearing different messages about forest conservation from these capitals," Ms Mutagamba said as delegates from Norway, Sweden and Switzerland looked on.
On the escalating pollution of Lake Victoria, the minister said her ministry through Nema would carry out an environment impact assessment to find out industries and settlements along the lake that have no proper waste disposal system.
"We shall order them to construct proper waste disposal facilities or close them down," she said.
Earlier, Bishop Geoff Davies from South Africa said developing countries should be wary of World Bank funded power projects that are forced down their throats ending up not benefiting them but indebting them.
"The waterfalls, forests and other natural resources should be guarded. The capital intensive projects that are being introduced at the expense of natural resources are only benefiting the engineers and the funders of these projects," he said.
Dr Jessy Mugambi from Kenya said less developed countries should plant trees as a sustainable mitigation measure against climate change that is here to stay.The Monitor
