Image Source: World Bank Group

By Kabuye Ronald

The government of Uganda on 27th July 2021 acknowledged that the environment and Natural resources sector has registered a decline over the last 29 years. 

According to the brief released by the Environmental shield organization, the government acknowledged that the Forest cover reduced from 24% in 1990 to 9% in 2015 at a rate of 1.4% (200,000-220,000 ha.) annually; the annual amount of water available in Uganda reduced from 66 billion cubic meters in 2005 to 43 cubic meters in 2012. 

The Environmental shield brief states that the drivers of such alarming environmental and natural resources decline include: deforestation, Unsustainable industrialization, pollution, unplanned urbanization, and poor agricultural practices.

On the 27th of July 2021, a meeting between officials of the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, and Uganda Law Society was held where a number of issues were discussed including the cancellation of titles in forest reserves and other critical ecological systems.

“Cabinet also resolved to evict all encroachers in government forests reserves banned growing rice and other crops in wetlands; and threatened, once again, to cancel all titles illegally issued in wetlands and forests reserves. Cabinet also banned bush burning forthwith besides promising, once again, to enforce the legal ban on polythene carrier bags (kaveera).” Read TV brief parts

According to NEMA soil scientist Dr. Jerome Sebadduka Lugumira while speaking in a virtual dialogue dubbed Taasa Obutonde on 2nd August 2021, Ugandan soil is relatively good but very old compared to European and North American soils. He noted that Uganda’s soils are not necessarily productive, and require a lot of input because most of them have been degraded. 

“Flooded environments have a high concentration of plastics: both litter and microplastics. That is why the latest government promise to be tough on plastics had better be translated into practice for the sake of Uganda’s sustainable development.” Reads part of the brief.

The brief also stated that every Ugandan is entitled to a clean, sustainable and healthy environment hence making it an obligation to everyone to make a clean and healthy environment a reality.

It further adds that a healthy environment is particularly important as the world battles the crises of climate change, Covid-19 pandemic, and poverty as it is a prerequisite for sustainable development.