The National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) has finally agreed with Speke Resort and the Convention Developer on how the project can continue without compromising the integrity of Lake Victoria.
This website has learnt that NEMA Management Team and Board members visited the site on Wednesday March, 9, 2022 to assess how the project could exist without affecting the lake. The developer and NEMA had constructive study of the master plan and agreed on key issues that need to be addressed before the project can commence.
Officials clarified that the developer was clearly following the guidelines by NEMA as per the issued EIA certificate (Environmental Impact Assessment) in 2019.
NEMA advised on needed adjustments in the master plan before the project can commence. The developer agreed to adjust the master plan to create adequate buffer for the lake.
NEMA Officials doing inspection at Lake Victoria
As part of their assessment, NEMA officials further proposed some minor adjustments after inspecting and reviewing the proposed master plan design of the Resort noting that the buffer distance between the hotel block and the water lines reduced by 10 metres due to the raising water levels.
NEMA suggested that the hotel block should be adjusted with additional 10 metres making 20 metres from the existing water shore line.
Additionally, the NEMA team also advised the developer to reposition the waste treatment plant to another location within the area of development.
Since the development is a recreation facility the developer has to enforce a strong solid waste management team to keep the environment eco-friendly.
NEMA officials also confirmed that all the necessary applications processes were done and approved by NEMA hence the project has been operating within the legal confines of the environmental laws.
According to NEMA, once the above-mentioned proposed changes are incorporated, the multibillion Resort project will have a huge impact on the economy by increasing the country’s revenues through its state-of-the-art facilities that will significantly promote the hospitality industry which will be important for Uganda’s development as a whole and the community youth livelihoods through employment opportunities the project will create.
The developer welcomed the assessment from NEMA as a positive direction towards the project development and promised to have the suggestions raised by the NEMA officials adjusted and incorporated in the design.
