Apollo Yeri Ofwono, the Tororo Municipality MP
Parliament has granted Apollo Yeri Ofwono, the Tororo Municipality MP, leave to introduce The Rainwater (Harvesting and Storage Bill where he is proposing a fine of 5000 currency points (Shs100M) on corporate companies that refuse to harvest rainwater from their building structures.
Yeri defended his decision to enact the law arguing that currently, there is no legal framework providing for and regulating the compulsory harvesting and storage of rainwater in Uganda despite the abundance of this natural resource, yet this comes at the time the world is experiencing variability in precipitation, increased temperature, drought frequencies, a trend that is worsened by the fact that globally, approximately 4 billion individuals experience water scarcity due to drought.
“The Bill should enable the harvesting of rainwater so as to harness the resource and optimally utilise it to augment the water needs of the people of Uganda. Harvesting rainwater will also minimise flooding which is of recurrent phenomenon, especially in urban areas where the drainage systems are not well maintained,” he said.
In Clause 14(1) (a) of the draft bill, Yeri is proposing that where a corporate body does not comply with any of the provisions of this Act, the competent Authority shall, in addition to any penalty stipulated, impose an administrative penalty not exceeding 5000 currency points (Shs100M).
In clause 4(1)(b), Yeri proposed a tougher penalty against corporate bodies that refuse to adhere to the requirement of harvesting rainwater by having their registration or trading licenses cancelled.
The Lawmaker also proposed in Clause 7 (l) to have every property developer make a provision for a rainwater harvesting and storage facility in their building plan and to have all building Committees not issue a building permit to a developer who presents a building plan which is not in compliance with the requirement for rainwater harvesting.
However, for properties that were developed before the enactment of this legislation, Yeri proposed a one year grace period within which the owners have to put in place structures for rainwater harvesting as per Clause 8(1) of the draft bill.
“A developer whose building was complete or fully constructed before the commencement of this Act, shall, within twelve months from the date of commencement, install a rainwater harvesting and storage facility or system on the building and also proposed a fine not exceeding 100 currency points equivalent to Shs2M on developers who fail to put in place rainwater harvesting facilities on their properties.
He further proposed in clause 10(1)(d) a fine not exceeding 1000 currency points (Shs20M) or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or both, while a tougher penalty has been proposed in clause 10(1)(e) for the closure of commercial buildings where the owner or person in charge is not in compliance.
