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The Parliamentary Committee on Natural Resources has halted sand mining on Lake Victoria by Aqua World, a firm that belongs to Kampala Pastor Samuel Kakande.
The directive was issued by the chairperson of the committee Isingiro South MP Alex Byarugaba while interfacing with lawyers of Pastor Samuel Kakande over illegal sand mining in Lweera.
The lawyers Bernard Mutyaba and Joash Mayanja Nkangi admitted mistakes had been made while Aqua World carried out fish farming and sand mining and promised to correct them.
The committee noted that Mpigi’s district environment authority had earlier warned Aqua World against mining sand within the protected zone of lake Victoria and destroying the wet land in a manner that is likely to have adverse effects on plants and animals in their natural habitat.
The vice chairperson of the committee MP Dr. Keefa Kiwanuka also added that the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) had expressed concern to parliament that the company was mining sand within the protected zone of Lake Victoria, contrary to regulation 30 of the national environment wetland river regulation 2000
“What you are doing is destroying, damaging the wetland in a manner that has or is likely to have adverse effects on plants and animals in their natural habitat contrary to section 37 of the national environment statute. You should stop immediately until an environmental audit of your activities,” said Kiwanuka.
The committee said that Aqua could resume mining sand after clearance from the National Environment Management Authority .
