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ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION IN UGANDA, CONTRAVERSIES AND PRIORITIES


Photo by Daily Monitor on X


Author : Ivan Joseph Mbuga Date: August 1, 2024


Summary.

Climate change is global threat and its effects are multidimensional affecting many sectors calling for collective effort to prevent the negative impacts. Extreme weather events such as floods, landslides, drought arise from environment destruction through deforestation, encroachment of water bodies. Government prioritize global cooperation and activities to protect and restore the environment. The most recent activity involved eviction of people from Lubigi swamp which left many stranded and homeless.


Background:

Climate change is multidimensional and its effects affects people worldwide in all sectors like agriculture, and health. Problems associated with environment destruction are far hitting extending even to the future generations. The tendency to desertification as a result of deforestation, floods resulting from occupation into swamps. Furthermore, there’s encroachment to the lakes which involves pouring water and stones into the lakes during construction of structures, as a result water has to flood during rainy seasons

Recent reports by Afro barometer (1) reported that still more than half of the Ugandans haven’t heard of climate change whereas those familiar with it pointed out how its making the country worse. This is further more emphasized by the Uganda Climate action report of 2016 (2) which predicted  that rainfall totals will significantly reduce, other extreme weather events.


Priorities.

Strategies to preserve and restore the environment are much needed than never before to reverse climate change and combat resultant impacts like drought, floods, diseases and loos of assets as described by (2).  The climate change Department recognizes the vulnerability of Uganda to negative impacts of climate change and a decision for global cooperation in this cause (3).


Controversies

 In the recent days, people who had settled in Lubigi swamp were evicted by National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) in a bid to restore the environment. The process involved demolition of structures. However many of these people had no resettlement plans , they stranded and homeless after the event and government wasn’t willing to compensate these people(4). All this left misery in people.

More efforts are needed in sensitization and other preventative strategies for better climate and environment for the future generations to thrive in.



Photo David Lewis Rubongoya on X, Showing a Lady stranded following the demolition



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