Some people cannot afford sh500 to go to the public latrine and they use the river as their latrine …
Residents of the central division in Fort Portal City have turned River Mugunu which is the largest tributary of River Mpanga into a garbage dumping site.
Several heaps of garbage are being dumped from restaurants and homes around Kisenyi are being dumped directed to the river which is one of the biggest sources of water in Fort Portal.
Vendors say that they have repeatedly asked the leaders in the area to shift the garbage site in vain, and as a result, they are forced to dump garbage in the wetland.
Food vendors around Kisenyi and the lorry park said on Friday during the monthly clean-up exercise organised by the African Young Environmentalists Association (AFRIYEA), that they have repeatedly asked the area leaders to put in place a garbage dumping site in vain.
Irene Kabasinguzi a resident of Kisenyi said that several vendors along the river don’t have latrines and they urinate in buckets and pour the urine in the river.
She said that some people cannot afford sh500 to go to the public latrine and they use the river as their latrine.
“Some people around the river don’t have latrines. They defecate in polythene bags and dump the human waste in the river at night,” Joy Kamara a resident of Kisenyi said.
She said that they have been decrying the stench from the river and how it is scaring away their customers but no solution has ever been given.
Richard Muhumuza the mayor for central division said that he is equally concerned that garbage is being dumped in the river and nothing is being done.
“This is a very serious problem. I have communicated with the health officer in charge of the division to carry out an operation and close all the business premises which are operating without garbage dumping bins,” Muhumuza said.
Isaiah Mwesige the executive director of AFRIYEA which organises the ‘clean Fort Portal monthly’ campaign said that River Mugunu pours its water into River Mpanga, the biggest water source in Kabarole and neighbouring districts.
Its destruction and contamination pose a health threat to the users.
Mwesige said that they started the initiative because Fort Portal town, which used to be among the cleanest in the country, is now littered with plastic waste and heaps of garbage.
“Cleaning Fort Portal is everyone’s responsibility. We are working with different stakeholders in ensuring that we have a clean city which will attract tourists,” Mwesige said.
