Managing waste in the protected areas is important as Uganda prepares to drill Oil.

HUGE black drums stare at you like stranded elephants. You look at them. They stare back. These are the storage facilities for oil waste from oil sites in Western Uganda.

These drums receive dangerous waste dug out from over one thousand metre deep oil wells scattered across Hoima.

There are forty nine oil wells in Hoima and Arua district. Five of these wells are dry. In other words, there are no prospects of getting oil.

Two companies are involved in oil exploration here. Tullow is exploring oil in Hoima and Neptune in Arua.

Out of the forty four oil wells, thirty one are in the protected areas.

Environmentalists therefore are monitoring how oil exploration here will be done without destroying the environment.

“We are making sure no waste or solid waste is put away,” Aryamanya Mugisha the Executive Director of National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) said in Hoima during the trip to the oil wells recently.

According to Aryamanya a temporal storage facility has been put in place but a permanent centralized system will be constructed near a refinery.

“The location will be near the refinery. We want to move the waste outside people’s residences. We know what is in the waste.” Aryamanya Mugisha says.

Tullow has put a temporal waste storage facility in Nagassa 2 oil well near Lake Albert. Nema has asked Tullow to label the waste indicating composition and origin. According to Aryamanya Mugisha management of waste is the responsibility of the drilling company.

“Before we go to refining oil, these issues will have to be concluded.” Aryamanya said.

Environmentalists say that, part of the waste after being treated can be useful for road construction. However, it may not be used in areas near water bodies.

According to Aryamanya, there is also a study to explore how the waste will be useful in construction of airfield run ways.

“We have discouraged the use of waste in making bricks. We have refused the disposal of wastage anyhow. If we continue in this manner, I don’t think there will be a problem,” Aryamanya said.

As part of its plan to address oil waste, Nema recently sent a team of environmental experts to Texas to study waste management. It is part of this team that regularly ensures that oil companies comply with environmental regulations.

Even then, there are concerns how crude oil and waste will be transported from the scattered wells to the refinery without affecting the environment.

Aryamanya says there is a proposal to transport oil using pipes to a central refinery plant.

According to environmentalists five sights have been proposed for this purpose. Nakasongola district and Kaabale in Hoima district are some of the proposed sites.

Kaabale is proposed because it is easy to access water. It is also in the middle hence easy to access oil wells scattered across Hoima. Finally, the population is not big therefore less likely to affect people.

However, communities here are scared that powerful people are forcing them to sell their land at a cheaper rate.

“People are being threatened. The local leaders are telling people to sell their land and if they refuse they will be chased away. They are selling an acre of land at shs 400,000.” one local community member in Kaabale said.

In Kasemene drilling site in Bullisa district, people were told to move three hundred metres away from the oil well. Despite the fact that, they were compensated for damaged crops and property community members have come back near the oil wells.

“People are complaining that, why don’t you tell us to leave.” Dozith Abeinomugihsa petrolleum expert in the ministry of energy said.

Tullow Oil Cooperate Communications Manager, Cathy Adengo said, Tullow pays much attention on waste and environment.

“We are here not to destroy the environment but to build the nation,” Adengo told reporters in Arua.

A team of oil drillers in Kigogole oil site in Bullisa district said, they are committed to reducing waste by 70 percent and restoring environment to near its original position after oil exploration.

This view is not shared with some environmentalists.
“These people would not mind about waste. If you looked away, they would never pay attention in reducing waste. We have to pay close attention to their work.” one environmental official said on condition of anonymity.