KAMPALA – Residents of Gayaza’s Nabutaka & Makenke neighborhoods, including the over 3000-pupil Hormisdallen Boarding School are up in arms over a stone-crashing facility located in their residential area, and is giving them sleepless nights.
The disgruntled homeowners say the noisy facility which was set up at the start of this year and works 24/hours a day, every day including Sunday is leaving them agitated, sleepless and is interfering with their children’s hearing health. The inconsiderate facility is crushing stone bolders into concrete for road and construction works. Efforts to reach out to the owners have been fruitless since security at the venue has repeatedly denied the residents a chance to talk to the owners.
The not-so-happy residents are now petitioning the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) to reign in on the facility that has made their lives hell. ‘We ask NEMA & Kasangati Town Council to look into our plight. We barely sleep because of the day & night long noise, but also the dust and heavy crushing is affecting our houses. We cannot just look on as our lives are destroyed’ said Steven Rwamatsyoro, one of the residents.
The Nabutaka residential area has in recent years been a favourite of settling occupants who have populated it with houses owing to its serene setting surrounded by virgin forests, rivers, undulated hills and the quiet setting outside the busy Gayaza town. Some of the prominent residents include deputy army commander, General Mbadi who has quietly but happily settled in with other residents including civil servants, bankers, lawyers, doctors, professors and businessmen.
Health concerns
Grace Margaret, a resident says the facility worries her it places her children in harm’s way. ‘I am worried for my children. This facility could induce a disability called Noise-Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL). The noise once constantly on will affect our children’s hearing health’ she said. ‘Already, we are getting headaches, disturbed sleep and restlessness from the noise’ Grace added.
Grace suggests that the facility needs to get a sound tracker since the area in which it operates is curved out for residential use. Sound absorbers once installed will help minimize on the noise levels.
Area residents affected by the factory’s operations are appealing to NEMA and other relevant authorities like Kasangati Town Council to come to their rescue since the local area council teams have been unhelpful.
