*People of Goodwill for the Environmental Degradation in West Nile,* The issue of de-gazzetting Barifa Foresr Reserve has surfaced again, read the report below by our own reporter Dradenya Amazia. Looking at the deforestation issues in West Nile, I am would we members of this forum to support Lawrence Andama and Swale Buga group for opposing the idea of de-gazatting Barifa Forest. While we have been discussing tree planting in West Nile, it will be wrong for us to support or encourage tree cutting at the pretext of development. As I submitted sometime early last year February or March, 2009 when this issue was discussed on the West Nilenet, there are quite a number areas in Arua town that the Municipal or Town Council can redevelop for housing, especially areas like Obolokofuku, Enyau Kebiri, Tanganyika, Aci Engine areas where there are still very many grass thatched houses. The Prison and Police Barracks are also areas available. the municipal council needs to think of coming into some kind of negotiations and understanding with owners of land in these areas to start Community Housing Projects to develop some kind of urban housing where better facilities such as piped water, sewages, electricity, garbage collection, tecommunications can be provided for the people living in such communities. If theses areas are within the city and are not developed, i see no reason of rushing to cut trees in Barifa for the sole purposes of housing. Moreover, the old Indian shops are still not renovated and still lie dirty in the middle of Arua, Would those old delapidated shops not have the first priority for redevelopment? I would like to disagree with the Acting Town Council , Mr. Andua Drani about what he stated, *"The acting town clerk, Martin Andua Drani, said: “We have done everything needed for the de-gazetting of Barifa. They wanted alternative land for a forest equivalent to the size to be de-gazetted and an environmental impact assessment report which have all been done.” *I think this was a wrong move that needs to be reversed. We need that Barifa Forest to act as a buffer , windbreaker or whatever environmental role it has played and will play for Arua town. I applaud Lawrence and Swale for a good fight and we need to support them in this fight. ** *By Dradenya Amazia *
ARUA municipal council is facing opposition over its quest to de-gazette Barifa Central Forest Reserve to create space for development. Lawrence Andama of Oluko sub-county said the forest should be reserved as Arua’s commitment to fighting global warming. “We have a lot of land for development. Why are they de-gazetting the forest when they even failed to plant trees in their compounds?” he asked. Swale Buga, the whistleblower for a group against the development of the forest, vowed that his group would walk from Arua to Parliament in Kampala to protest the de-gazetting of the forest. “Barifa has the regional playground. When it is de-gazetted, I fear this ground will be taken away by the developers instead of developing it,” said Alice Ayikoru, a resident of Awindiri ward. The environment state minister, Jessica Eriyo, said the forest absorbs waste and provides fresh air to the town and its surroundings. “Many towns and municipalities, including Arua, have applied for the de-gazetting of central forest reserves, but did not follow the required procedures,” she observed. Eriyo said Mbarara and Kalangala were the only districts close to meeting the requirements for de-gazetting forests. She said before de-gazetting a forest, there must be alternative land of the same size or bigger than the area in question to plant a new forest and an approved environment impact assessment, among other conditions. The acting town clerk, Martin Andua Drani, said: “We have done everything needed for the de-gazetting of Barifa. They wanted alternative land for a forest equivalent to the size to be de-gazetted and an environmental impact assessment report which have all been done.” Last year, a group of people petitioned President Yoweri Museveni about the plan to de-gazette the forest. Museveni consequently directed that the process be stopped until their concerns were addressed.
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