Tuesday, February 16th, 2021 | By
Persons affected by the Oil pipeline project in Kiyuni village, Mulagi Sub County in Kyankwanzi district are concerned over the exhaustion of the Environment and household livelihoods in the name of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline project.
The Project is expected to run through 10 districts of Uganda from Kibaale parish, Buseruka Sub County in Hoima through Kyankwanzi and other districts, transverse Tanzania.
Whereas Environmental and Social Impact Assessment for the EACOP – a process that evaluates the potential social and environmental impacts of a given project and their mitigation measures was conducted, the PAPs say they are encountering a stall environmental and livelihood practices.
The ESIA studies for the EACOP were conducted around the crude oil export pipeline route (from Uganda’s Kabaale parish, Buseruka Sub County in Hoima district to Chongoleani peninsula, north to Tanga port in Tanzania).
Betty Namugwanya one of the affected PAPs from Kiyuni village, Mulagi Sub County in Kyankwanzi district hopes that the idea of barring them from carrying out any farming activity on the land can be withdrawn because it has greatly impacted the Environment through tree cutting to earn a living.
“The indigenous trees that were used to mitigate effects of environment degradation have been cut down to boost household income of the community since we are not supposed to continue cultivating perennial crops” Namugwanya explains.
She says that although she only had a plot of land, it was helping by means of enhancing her income especially through her small scale farming activities of planting organic food stuff that she normally sells to the community members.
The Chairperson in charge of the PAPs and the affairs of the community in Kiyuni village, Kyankwanzi district, David Kakumirizi said that the area has been conserved with good indigenous trees species like Taminalia, mivule and others but were all depleted by both EACOP projects activities and the residents.
“The community resorted to cutting down the trees for charcoal, firewood and timber because all their means of livelihood were hampered by the project that is why they are destroying the environment while awaiting for compensation” says Kakumirizi.
In spite of the above, they are also committed to minimizing any unavoidable impact to ecosystems, biodiversity and local communities, restoring and rehabilitating impacted areas hence offsetting significant residual impacts
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