The impact of slum development on wetlands. a case study of Namuwongo Slum, Kampala, Uganda.
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Date
2013-09
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Publisher
Kampala International University. School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Abstract
In a bid to address the impact of slum development on the wetlands many organizations have
developed mechanisms aimed at reducing the rate of slum development but several measures still need to be put in place as well as elevate the lives of the people living in the slum areas for example the building of a better drainage system, provision of safe drinking water, sensitization
on better sanitation practices thus creating a favorable living atmosphere. The main objective of
this research was to assess the impact of slum development on wetlands. The specific objectives were to find out the human activities involved in slum development and wetlands, to identify the effects of slum development activities to the wetlands and to explore the possible solutions to reduce wetland degradation due to slum development. The researcher used a sample size of 60 respondents and several methods were used to obtain information from the field such as, questionnaires, photography and participatory observation. In this study, several findings were made and conclusions drawn in that a number of activities were discovered that take place in Namuwongo slum in descending order such as crop cultivation as the highest, house construction, brick making, waste disposal, industrial establishment, resource harvesting, trade and commerce while animal rearing was the least carried out thus it was also realized that these activities have resulted from an increase in population. The distance of the respondents’ houses from the wetland is 200-250m which was the majority group and the least was greater than 400m away from the wetland. The effects of human activities due to slum development to the wetlands include drainage, loss of biodiversity, pollution, reclamation for industrial
development, resource depletion, and waste accumulation due to poor waste management hence polluted water and the spread of diseases, also creation of depressions that is large holes. There is also congestion due to poorly planned houses. A number of mitigation measures were explored hence suggested such as regulation of activities in the wetland in accordance with the National Wetland Policy of 1995 by issuing permits, increasing safe and clean piped water, enforcement of policies and regulations, encouraging and increasing community participation, introducing energy saving technologies, promoting continuous public awareness and family controlling overpopulation using family planning methods. Based on the conclusions above, the following recommendations were suggested; allocate extension officers, provide loans of low interests, encourage more research and inventory , increased capacity building, create more employment opportunities, and lastly enforcement of the existing laws and policies.
Description
A dissertation submitted to the college of applied sciences and technology 1n partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the Degree of Bachelor of Science in Environmental Management of Kampala International University.
Keywords
Slum development on wetlands