Friends, The level of sharing of ideas on critical issues on the net is encouraging but how do we get the wider public and the leadership of Arua think the way we desire? Reliable information from the Ugandan Cabinet is that there is a move to upgrade Arua Municipality to city status. Upon sharing this with the town clerk, i am told the land area disqualifies the city upgrading issue. These are ideas being discussed. Back on the issue of Arua's development as proposed by Sam Andema and Oguzu plus others, we need to have an interlectual debate at Arua involving the leaders on ground both politicians and civil servants plus others. Now is the time to put Arua and westnile in the right path. In the greater urban plan of Arua, the areas surrounding the town are encouraged to plan in a town setting but the elders/politicians in the peri urban areas have misunderstood and rejected this idea. Friends, Arua needs urgent grand plan though you will be told that the plan is already in place, which is only for the Municipality. On Barifa issue, degazetting the forest is the greatest mistake we would make for generations. Tobacco and charcoal business among others has caused great demage. Let Barifa remain as an oasis of vegetation save for the undone Dorcus Inzikuru stadium. Friends thanks for the discussion. Let us keep up the fight for Arua. God bless us and West Nile. Nayenda Elly --- On Fri, 5/8/09, fdr...@yahoo.co.uk <fdr...@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
From: fdr...@yahoo.co.uk <fdr...@yahoo.co.uk> Subject: Re: [WestNileNet] Re: Barifa Issue To: andema...@yahoo.co.uk, "A Virtual Network for friends of West Nile" <westnilenet@kym.net> Date: Friday, May 8, 2009, 8:18 AM Friends, Many thanks for all your thoughts on Barifa. I do not know when some of you last went to Arua. Many things have changed of recent. Do we actually know the boundaries of this Arua Municipal we are talking about or the current land size and population distribution per division? Yes some of us do know. Arua airfield belongs to CAA not the municipality. The former gaagaa area and these others you are asking to be re planed have owners who also think, you have no right to plan for them where ever you are. I have learnt that, the re-planning of the current town has been on going. This will address some of the issues relating to infrastructure etc. But it is not an easy task because some of these landlords cannot just let go of their land. There seems to have been some disagreement on both the aerial and ground surveys initially carried out. Again, I invite Mr. Bada to help on this. The design for expansion and extension of the current water system is ongoing. I think, the municipal authorities are trying to address some of these issues we are raising. Even if degazzetted, municipal will invite private developers to develop the area and not the council since they do not have the resources to do so. In the same vein, some one able out there too can pay off the landlords in such areas you've chosen to identify as slum and re-develop it. You only need to consult with the municipal to avoid being re-planned again in future. There are many good things happening out there which we either do not know or have just refused to appreciate. Some members of this forum are big time REAL investors in Arua. Get to know them and find out more about existing opportunities. For sure, these developments will not Wait for any body fantasying new york in Arua should the opportunity arise even today. Lets just keep our ears to the ground. Xavier --- On Fri, 8/5/09, samuel andema <andema...@yahoo.co.uk> wrote: From: samuel andema <andema...@yahoo.co.uk> Subject: Re: [WestNileNet] Re: Barifa Issue To: "A Virtual Network for friends of West Nile" <westnilenet@kym.net> Date: Friday, 8 May, 2009, 12:37 AM Dear brothers and sister, I have read all your submissions on the degazetting of Barifa forest and the planned development of Arua. I sincerely appreciate all your contributions. But I would like as to separate the degazetting of Barifa and the need for a planned developpment of Arua. In my view the need for a comprehensive development of plan for the whole of Arua District should not depend on whether or not Barifa is degazetted. With or without the degazetting of Barifa, the Arua has one of the fasted population growth rates in Uganda and possibly the Great Lack Regions. The rate at which people are buying pieces of land in different parts of the periurban areas and buliding on these pieces of land without provision for passage of roads, water pipes, electricity lines etc is extremely alarming. People are building on their small pieces of land without taking into consideration the need to provide for basic infrastructure. It is tyhis kind of situation which to me is most alarming. The expected modern facilities to be build at Barifa should not be an isolated case. In my view we should be talking about an over all strategic development for the whole of Arua within which the possible degazetting or Barifa or not should fit. I am thoroughly opposed to any piece meal development of any kind be it Barifa or Obolokofoku or Gaagaa market because in the lonmg run it does not help us at all. It is for this reason that i still insist the priority should be to have a 50 or 100 years long term development plan which can then be reviewed periodically to ensure that it matches with the practical conditions of the times. Thank you. Sam Andema --- On Thu, 7/5/09, Vasco Oguzua <ogu...@hotmail.com> wrote: From: Vasco Oguzua <ogu...@hotmail.com> Subject: [WestNileNet] Re: Barifa Issue To: westnilenet@kym.net Date: Thursday, 7 May, 2009, 9:13 PM Congratulations and well done Mr. Drani. I think you have provided us with some well researched information and shed a better light on this Barifa issue. I hope the Mr. Bada can give us more information on what actually is happening. If indeed, that is the situation of the said piece of land, I think we need to find a way of putting pressure on the municipality and NFA to desist from degazetting the area for the suggested development. Yes, with the increasing population in general, the population of Arua town must have increased. If the available facilities were designed for only 10, 000 people as i read in Drani's piece, then the priority needs to be to improve the available amenities to meet the demands of the current population. That requires strategic and systematic planning to evaluate the current available areas where these people are living, not going to open a buffer forest that otherwise should protect the people and the town. If the Municipal Council rejected the idea of giving away the area opposite Catholic Centre, there should be no reason for them to accept going to Barifa. In the population in the town has increased, I am sure the patterns of locations where the population is increasing can be easily seen and a clear picture of whether such locations are properly planned should be reviewed. The slum areas within and around the municipality should be the priority areas of community housing developments and amenities improvements. With the increasing population and decreasing volume of Enyau River,which has been the source of water supply in in the town your years, I can see that water supply in Arua requires a very serious thought and priority. The numerous boreholes around the town may not be sustainable source of water because the rate at which water is mined is much higher than the rate at which the underground water is re-charged, with the environmental problems we have in the area. Water supply and sewerage infrastructure go hand in hand. So for the publics interest and for the interests of developing the municipality, I would still insist that the idea of degazetting Barifa should be thrown out. In a couple years to come, the Municipal Council and the public could actually get better economic returns from the area. Vasco Oguzua ________________________________ One at a time or all at once? Get updates from your friends in one place. _______________________________________________ WestNileNet mailing list WestNileNet@kym.net http://orion.kym.net/mailman/listinfo/westnilenet% WestNileNet is generously hosted by INFOCOM http://www.infocom.co.ug/ The above comments and data are owned by whoever posted them (including attachments if any). The List's Host is not responsible for them in any way. _______________________________________________ -----Inline Attachment Follows----- _______________________________________________ WestNileNet mailing list WestNileNet@kym.net http://orion.kym.net/mailman/listinfo/westnilenet % WestNileNet is generously hosted by INFOCOM http://www.infocom.co.ug/ The above comments and data are owned by whoever posted them (including attachments if any). The List's Host is not responsible for them in any way. _______________________________________________ -----Inline Attachment Follows----- _______________________________________________ WestNileNet mailing list WestNileNet@kym.net http://orion.kym.net/mailman/listinfo/westnilenet % WestNileNet is generously hosted by INFOCOM http://www.infocom.co.ug/ The above comments and data are owned by whoever posted them (including attachments if any). The List's Host is not responsible for them in any way. _______________________________________________
_______________________________________________ WestNileNet mailing list WestNileNet@kym.net http://orion.kym.net/mailman/listinfo/westnilenet % WestNileNet is generously hosted by INFOCOM http://www.infocom.co.ug/ The above comments and data are owned by whoever posted them (including attachments if any). The List's Host is not responsible for them in any way. _______________________________________________