Arua, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Arua city has received a new physical development plan that seeks to organize land use and create order. The plan which will run from 2022 to 2040 stipulates areas that will accommodate infrastructures such as industrial parks, agricultural fields, hospitals, and schools among others.
The new physical development plan covers an area of 401.8 square kilometers, nearly more than 30 times bigger than the previous one which covered only 10.5 square kilometers.
The plan was developed by the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) and Mott MacDonald under “Greening Uganda’s Urbanization and Industrialization project with support from the European Union.
Presenting the plan at Arua City Council on Wednesday, Samuel Wafula, the urban planning specialist at Mott MacDonald said that part of the plan is the introduction of inner and outer bypasses to decongest traffic in the city.
A total of 76 kilometers of new roads have also been proposed to supplement the existing 206km access roads. The new physical development plan also proposes inner and outer ring roads of 25.7 kilometers and 10.6 kilometers respectively. The area of Riki in Ayivu division have been designated for industrial parks.
In a bid to promote sports activities, the new plan proposes to establish playgrounds in every ward and open space in every cell. Four stadiums have also been proposed namely, Abi stadium in Obopi west cell in Odravu ward, in addition to Arua Hill, Onduparaka, Odramacako stadiums.
Jackie Kemigisha, a member of the National Physical Planning Board tasked the city authorities to mobilize funds for the implementation of the plan.
Under the plan, the current central business district of the city has been expanded to cover parts of Tanganyika, Awindi, Kenya, Mvara, Anyafiyo central, Anyafiyo, Oyoze wards among others. The new plan also provides for infrastructure projects of low-cost housing in the slummy areas of Kenya ward and others parts of Oli.
Moses Findru, the City Senior Physical Planner says the plan has come at the right time before physical planning in the city gets messed up.
