| dc.description.abstract | This research focused on the impacts of urbanization on wetlands, a case study of Bwaise wetland
in Kawempe Division, Kampala. Over the years, Kampala has experienced a high rate of
urbanization, this has led to massive encroachment into wetlands and other urban ecological
systems such as forests, green belts to cater for the growing population with need for more land
for residential, commercial, infrastructural and industrial establishment. The study focused on
examining the existing situation at Bwaise wetland, looking into the major land use changes
associated with population growth that pose adverse effects on Bwaise wetland and the solutions
that could be adopted to ensure sustainable use, protection and preservation of Bwaise wetland.
The research employed a methodology capable of successfully and adequately gathering the
required information for the research and it involved participant observation in the research area
of study, interviewing of the relevant stakeholders such as the community nearest to the swamp
and those who derive a livelihood from it, the Local Council I Chairpersons of Bwaise. Sampling
was also employed to get information from the community members who are in direct interaction
with the wetland, questionnaires distributed with specific objective answering questions,
photography of peculiar and important phenomena and review of valuable literature related to the
research.
The research had a number of findings in relation to the objectives of the study and these were; the
existing situation at Bwaise wetland evidenced by a major decrease in the area coverage of the
wetland, building and construction activities on the wetland, highly polluted wetland waters with
plastics, polythene, sewage and industrial wastes, the concrete barriers and larger drainage
channels established to control flooding and very poor solid waste management. The research
found out the major land uses associated with population growth that pose adverse impacts on the
wetland and these are; the residential land use, commercial, infrastructural, industrial land use and
poor solid waste management. | en_US |
