Wastewater effluents from Lugazi sugar factory and a molasses based distillery has destroyed too much life in River Musamya and ruined the beauty of Mabira Forest in Uganda

Lugazi sugar factory owned by Mehta Group in Uganda and East Africa is of economic importance in terms of employment opportunities, government revenue, and sugar production for export and domestic consumption. However, there is a great problem of environmental pollution due to its wastewater disposal without any treatment. Sugar Corporation of Uganda Ltd (SCOUL) is one of the major sugar industries in Uganda milling over 1,583 tons of sugar cane per day and generating over 1000m3 of wastewater per day. Wastewater disposed by SCOUL is in septic conditions and causes serious pollution to the nearby river water source; River Musamya. Environmental pollution mitigation measures can be put in place but the owners of this factory have decided never to adopt any measure. Physico-chemical characteristics of wastewater from SCOUL and water from River Musamya at the point of discharge, upstream and downstream of the river were determined using standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater. Impact of wastewater from SCOUL on River Musamya was evaluated and results showed that pollutant concentration in effluent from SCOUL were above permissible discharge limits by NEMA. Therefore, despite the sugar processing industry (SCOUL) being economically important, the negative impact of its effluent wastewaters on the environment is significant. Hence there is urgent need for intervention by employing technologies that reduce the quantity of waste effluents generated and also by installing a wastewater treatment system that impacts less on the environment.

After polluting River Musamya, it flows to Mabira Forest – the biggest natural reserve in Central Uganda, and destroys a lot of life to the nearby environment including fish and other aquatic life. The communities found on the banks of the river cannot collect water from it neither draw water for their animals in addition to the heavy stench that affects people who live near the river in a range of about 2 kilometres. The tourism industry has been greatly affected as the beauty of Griffin Falls on River Musamya has been wasted by pollution.

I work as a tour agent and I have visited Mabira Forest for a number of times with my clients but the smell of the river is horrible much as we liked the beautiful water falls in the middle of the forest passing through interlocking granite rocks.

Thanks to these four environmental activists, Vanessa & Peter Malone and Maureen & Yann Le Quellec, whose encouragement and suggestions led to both this petition and an online petition (www.change.org to save the River Musamya and Mabira Forest at large, building on my own work and efforts, to ensure both are free from pollution and unnecessary encroachment.

LUGAZI SUGAR MUST STOP POLLUTING RIVER MUSAMYA!!!