Installation of electric fence around Murchison Falls National Park kicks off

The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) has started installing electric fences around Murchison Falls National Park in a bid to stop animals from straying into neighboring communities.

The exercise kicked off over the weekend from Pabit parish in Purongo sub county Nwoya district with digging of trenches around the park.

Hanji Bashir, the Communications Manager of UWA, says that the exercise will later be followed by installation of poles, low voltage electric wires and building a powerhouse.

He said that UWA in the first phase will erect the electric wires at a 20-kilometres range in the areas affected most by wildlife invasion.

Bashir, however, did not disclose how long the exercise will take but said that it is part of the 30-kilometres that will be installed around the park.

The electric fence will be used to block elephants from accessing the communities. Bashir told URN that the each kilometre will cost 50 million shillings.

Ben Okot, the Purongo sub county LC3 chairperson says that the initiative will save his farming community from invasion of marauding elephants that have destroyed thousand acres of crop gardens over the years.

Patrick Okello Oryema, the Nwoya LCV chairperson noted that the most affected by marauding elephants include Agung in Anaka sub county, Pabit in Purongo sub county, Lii, Alero and Koch Goma sub counties.

Farmers in Nwoya last year reported that over 1,000 acres of crop gardens were destroyed by marauding elephants.

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URN