KALUNGU-The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) on Tuesday arrested seven foreign nationals in connection with illegal sand mining in Lwera wetland located in Kalungu District.
The Chinese Nationals who were arrested during the operation (Courtesy photo)
The operation that started in the night along Kampala-Masaka Road, also impounded 13 Sinotruk lorries and four excavators, among other equipment.
In April this year, NEMA halted all illegal sand mining activities in Lwera during an earlier operation in which the said miners were tasked to restore the part of the wetland they had degraded.
The restoration exercise, aimed at liberating Uganda’s wetlands and other fragile ecosystems, is part of the series of operations the Authority is currently carrying out across the country.
Investigations into the matter are being concluded and the suspects will be charged in accordance with the law.
Wetland degradation is a crime under Section 55 of the National Environment Act, Cap 181, and is punishable with a fine not exceeding UGX 600 million or imprisonment not exceeding 12 years or both.
This operation has come at a time when some people have been questioning the mode of implementation of environmental laws by NEMA , as some have been accusing this organization of oppressing the poor who reside in the wetlands and ignore the rich with businesses established in wetlands.
