The Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA) and locals living near Entebbe International Airport met this week and discussed the partnership on to control bird hazards that may lead to aircraft accidents. The Director Airports and Aviation Security, Eng. Al-Hajj Ayub Sooma noted that Entebbe being a sanctuary of 1100 bird species , the fight against bird hazards requires a collective efforts hence the involvement of community members in the struggle.
Addressing community members this week at UCAA Headquarters, Eng. Al-Hajj Ayub Sooma said the authority does not believe in working in silos and that’s why community members were brought on board to fight bird hazards. “There is need to work hand in hand to fight birds which may incidentally crash with the aircraft hence damaging the engine which results into an accident.
Eng. Sooma urged locals to control waste management arguing that wastes attract insects which in turn attract more birds. ‘We need massive sensitization of the community on how to manage wastes. To have good health, we must ensure a clean environment. It’s for this reason that management of Entebbe International Airport calls upon all community members to work together with UCAA in the fight against bird hazards and waste management.
The LC3 Chairperson for Entebbe Division ‘B’, Richard Sekyondo pledged to intensify door to door sensitization campaign in the fight against wastes which attract birds. He also expressed dismay on the poor state of Buku road that connects the airport to Kigungu landing site.
‘We have developed Weyonje program to ensure that people collect their own waste and later recycle it. This would enable us keep our town clean and subsequently would attract potential tourists to reside within the hotels in Entebbe municipality.
‘Iam also concerned with Buku road that passes behind Entebbe International Airport. The road is a total disaster and during dry season it’s dusty and when it rains, it turns muddy. I implore management of Uganda Civil Aviation Authority to look into this burning issue, ‘mayor Sekyondo appealed.
In related news, the manager public affairs at Uganda Civil Aviation Authority, Vianney Lugya Mpungu, has advised delegation of Muslims who plan to welcome their loved ones from pilgrimage starting 21 June, 2024, to park their cars outside the airport facility and that only cars with stickers will be allowed inside the airport.
‘We appeal to the departing passengers to be at the airport 3hours prior to their scheduled departing time. In most cases the number of people who welcome pilgrims is usually bigger as it has been in the past years. We request the pilgrims to liaise with the organizers of Uganda Bureau of Hajj affairs.’
‘ Only vehicles with stickers shall be permitted to access the airport facility to receive the returning pilgrims while the big delegations have been diverted to wait for their people outside the airport at civil aviation authority playgrounds and also the car parking area has been set aside for those waiting for dear ones. This is intended to avoid inconveniencing other airport users at the same to allow those receiving their loved ones to enjoy themselves.’
On the issue of traffic flow at the airport Mr. Lugya said: “In terms of passenger flow in May we recorded 92000 departing passengers and 89000 arriving passengers totaling 181,000 international passengers an average of 5000 passengers per day. On the side of cargo we registered 2000 metric tons of imports and 4000 metric tons of exports totaling 6000 metric tons. This is slightly higher than the previous months from January-April with an average of 5000 metric tons.”
Source: https://caa.go.ug/ucaa-community-members-discuss-how-to-fight-bird-hazards-at-the-airport/