Franklin Delano Roosevelt the 32nd President of United States once said that, “It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something”
For a number of occasions, there has been debates, good speeches, workshops, seminars, conferences, short and long courses , special A forestation programs, parliamentary debates, peaceful matches, etc on matters regarding protecting the environmental degradation and fighting global worming but still the wound is rotting very fast!
Some days back on16th, 01, 2012 while listening to news on one of the local FM radio stations, I came to learn that, Ggomba district a region in central Uganda has been once again hit by a very deadly storm which left a number of homes destroyed and a number of crops destroyed living hundreds of Ugandans homeless including a police station located in Kanoni town.
I think it is high time we should think more critically on matters concerning our environment instead of spending more time on bating for soccer teams from Europe or elsewhere in the world. The heavy storm which is often hitting our region is due to the excessive destruction of our rain forests rather trees. There are numbers of approaches which have been applied by governments and organization so as to combat this hazard but they have not really been t of much impact I believe. Now I think we should try something which I believe should be very effective.
First, I think, we have to establish an awareness program which has to have a fundamental grass root kind of structure. This kind of structure, should base on the creation of a movement and a group supporting it naturally and spontaneously. This grass root movement should often recruit and have the local level volunteers and should be working within the depth of the community .These volunteers also, must give their time to support the local environmental movement and should be able to help the national environmental movement in all ways.
Secondly, we have to see to it that, we change the laws protecting the environment in Uganda The environmental abusers, do not really care so much because the laws protecting the environment are some how loose. There are number of occasions where by, we have heard National the Environment Management Authority (NEMA)-Uganda being pined down for being reluctant on those abusing the environment and also for not giving a thorough information about its programs and activities, not much is being followed up on because the environmental laws are not clearly stipulated in their contexts.
It is also very factual that, the local community on many occasions is not well informed on some matters regarding public notices issued by NEMA because of the mode of communication, for example the Environmental and Social Impact Statement (ESIS) is always grasped by some very few and the majority do not know anything about some major developments taking place, I have a friend of mine born from Abim district in northern Uganda recently I asked him whether he knows anything about the proposed Hydro Power Project proposed by Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development (MEMD), Karuma HPP which will be a run-off the river. This project shall have an intake 1.5km on the Kyoga Nile east of the Kampala – Gulu Highway. The Project area shall be covering 465.5 Ha and it is to be located in Kiryandongo and Oyam Districts, and the Karuma Wildlife Reserve. A Resettlement Action Plan for the project area affected persons has since been approved by the CGV, and a total of 192.75 Ha will be acquired from private owners! NEMA and other environmental bodies must always deliver their messages in a very simplified easy formation so as to enable the local community to understand them better.
The grass root community must and should have to digest the meaning and interpretation of Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)
This Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) is a global treaty adopted in 22 May 2001 and entered into force on 17 May 2004. It seeks to protect human health and the environment from chemicals that remain intact in the environment for long periods, become widely distributed geographically and accumulate in the fatty tissue of humans and wildlife. The Convention requires Parties to take measures to eliminate or reduce the release of POPs into the environment.
Our country Uganda acceded to the Convention on the 20th July 2004, and was obligated to develop a National Implementation Plan (NIP) for managing the POPs. In fulfillment of Article 7 of the Stockholm Convention, Uganda developed and transmitted her NIP to the Conference of parties in January 2009. Today, various implementation activities are going on in the country in line with priority areas identifies in the NIP. Now it should be NEMA to explain to all Ugandans these priority lines in a very simplified language and explanation so as to make all people understand their environmental rights etc.
In brief, I presume, Ugandans need a very simple and easy environmental plan which will involve all sorts of concerned citizens to come up with a viable short term and a long term arrangement which will restore our environment as the Chinese proverb goes by “ A single conversation across a table with a wise man is worth a month's study of books”.
The writer of this article is called Davis Costa Ddamulira Ssempuuma, the founder of
350 Uganda Movement or Moving Planet Uganda,he is an inventor,an environmental activist,a writer of kids books and a small scale farmer in Kammengo Mpigi District.
Box 8433,Kampala,Uganda,East Africa,
Tel: 0785755270
E mail,nakakulebv@yahoo.com
