The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Amuru, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Environmental activists want the government to suspend all agricultural schemes operating within or close to Lake Victoria catchment area to save the country’s ecosystem, which is under threat from human activities.
The activists under their umbrella of Action for Sustainable Development Initiative-ASDI are concerned by the continued depletion of the Lake Victoria catchment area under the pretext of promoting agriculture at subsistence and commercial levels.
ASDI is aimed at promoting a clean, healthy, and well-protected environment that can support a sustainable society and economy.
While releasing findings of their survey on the status of landing sites in Masaka district at Lambu fishing village in Bukakata Sub County on Tuesday, Wilson Kutamba, the Programs Manager at ASDI, noted non-compliance to the preservation of water catchment areas as one of the major threats to the entire Lake Victoria ecosystem.
He noted that besides many smallholder farmers, who cultivate the shorelines and wetlands, several companies that are cleared to practice commercial farming in low-lying areas are not adhering to the terms and conditions set during licensing to deter the use of harmful methods to the ecosystem.
Katumba also noted that in addition to polluting the water bodies with toxic chemicals, the agricultural activities in the catchment areas are contributing to direct mass deposition into the water bodies resulting in grave effects including among others heavy flooding and spontaneous death of some fish species.
“If unchecked these activities are threatening both the future existence of both the second-largest water lake and human life. This, therefore, demands that the government swiftly intervene and take appropriate actions towards saving our water bodies,” the report reads in part.
Katumba argues that the growing challenge now requires a strong pronouncement by the government banning any sort of encroachment on the catchment areas of water bodies across the country.
The activists have also called on the government and other stakeholders involved in environmental conservation to uphold the debate on the banning plastics and polythene materials in the country to reverse their related effects.
Notably, Uganda has since the mid-2000s made several attempts at banning the use, manufacture, distribution, sale, and importation of polythene bags in vain because of inter-ministerial disagreements that are allegedly fueled by intense lobbying by manufacturers some of whom relocated from neighboring countries where their operations were suspended.
Kutamba however recommends that its high time Uganda took a strong position on the use of none-decomposing polythene and plastic materials for purposes of eliminating the associated negative effects that supersede the benefits.
Aloysius Jjuuko, the Bukakata sub-county LC III chairperson has acknowledged the challenges of environmental degradation along the shorelines. He, however, says there is need for concerted efforts by all responsible leaders and communities to fight bad practices.
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