The National Environment Management Authority-NEMA has stopped Solid State Company from carrying out quarrying at Lubani Hill in Butagaya Sub County in Jinja district. In an August 13th letter signed by Gerald Musoke Sawulo, NEMA says the decision to evoke the certificate of operation results from complaints raised by residents in the area. Musoke directs Solid State Company to stop any quarrying activities as NEMA investigates the complaints of residents.
Recently, residents of Butagaya Sub County petitioned NEMA to intervene and stop the quarrying activities. Led by Moses Batwala, the former Jinja district LC V vice chairperson, the residents complained that they were being affected adversely by the quarrying activities. They claimed that stone particles fly off during the blasting of rocks that destroy their houses and crop gardens. Residents claimed that their buildings have developed huge cracks as a result of the explosives used by the company to blast rocks.
Yahaya Mwase, another resident accused the company of carrying out quarrying in a busy trading center and learning center that has hampered several activities as residents fear to be hit by stones. He faulted Richard Mutudhu, the area LC I chairperson and LC III chairman Abdullah Suuta for conniving with Isaac Musumba, the managing Director Solid State Company to forge their signatures to hoodwink NEMA that they had accepted the project.
65-year-old Sarah Naudo says that she has developed ill health because of the noise from the blasts, which has also destroyed her mud and wattle house. By the time of filing this story, the management of Solid State Company had not yet commented on the suspension of its activities as Isaac Musumba could not be reached by our reporter.
