By Frederick Womakuyu, reported in The New Vision, and reprinted in allAfrica.com
7 July 2010
Kampala — Uganda’s population hit the 33 million mark in 2010. National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) warns that the country’s environment is in danger as much of its forest cover and wetlands could soon disappear.
The dramatic reduction of the forest cover in Kibaale district perhaps demonstrates the impact the high population is having on nature.
In 1990, Kibaale had about 114,000 hectares of forest cover with a population of about 220,300 people. But by 2005, its forest cover had fallen to about 58,300 hectares with a population of about 413,000 people due to migration.
The Uganda Bureau of Statistics warns that if the population growth of Kibaale remains unchecked in the next 10-15 years, the forest cover in Kibaale will be reduced to 2,433 hectares. Read more.
Why should we wait for such disaster to first get to us yet we have the ability and resources to stop it. NEMA should be an independent authority with out political interference here i mean to be liberal. Some of us are ready to offer free services to sensitise people all over the country over how to use the available energy sustantably with out compromising with the future use but NEMA through its DEOs they are not minding rather they concertrate on political matters insteady of environment matters. We initiated a project of making charcoal Briquettes in one of the Districts that is Ibanda and energy saving stoves as well as encouraging them to plant trees but the DEO insteady discouraged us insteady of even robbing for financial surport.
Let us act.