28 NEW VISION, Wednesday, March 20, 2019 NATIONAL NEWS

LAKE VICTORIA City dwellers to continue POLLUTED The director of UNEP/DH and Water and Environment Centre Denmark, Peter Koefoed, has said Uganda has devoted signiocant effort to Sroviding its relying on septic tanks SoSXOation Zith safe Zater and sanitation services. HoZever, he Sointed oXt that Cheptoris /ake 9ictoria is continXoXsO\ (in grey suit) Eeing SoOOXted from varioXs MARCH 18-22 and other soXrces, Zhich has changed oIoFials the Oake from its natXraO state inspeFting toZards a h\SertroShic fXOO of a solar green matter or aOgae state, By Vision Reporters pumping Zhich has affected the osheries maFhine sector. Residents of greater Kampala will have from Davis k%iOOions of SeoSOe ZorOdZide to wait longer to be connected to a and Shirtliff Oack access to safe Zater and sewer network. Fompany sanitation. Water SoOOXtion is According to Dr Silver Mugisha, the during the increasing, \et agricXOtXre SXts managing director of the National launFh of more stress on Zater resoXrces Water and Sewerage Corporation the Water as ZeOO,y he said. (NWSC), the population with access to Week at /ast Zeek, NW6C noted that sewer services is expected to increase Water XS to , cit\ residents to 30% after the construction of the ResourFe ZiOO Ee sXSSOied Zith Zater Zhen sewerage services at Nalukolongo and Institute foXr oXt of the si[ Zater sXSSO\ Kinawataka in the years to come. in Entebbe imSrovement SroMects are Previously, the area covered by on Monday. comSOeted in ASriO. The other the sewer services in Kampala was Photo by tZo ZiOO Ee read\ in Ma\. estimated at 6%. This improved after Julius The areas to get SiSed Zater the construction of the sewerage Luwemba incOXde Nansana, Wakiso, Kakiri, treatment plant at Lubigi. K\aOiZaMaOa, Kira, %XOindo, Nsasa, “One of the biggest concerns is the However, Mugisha pointed out that Monday and is expected to end on Sam Cheptoris, the water minister, MXOaaZa, KitikifXmEa, Sarts of issue of waste management. It will there is a possibility of environmental Friday. was the guest of honour. Kasangati, Kiti, Ma\irikiti, Kata, take us time to achieve 100% sewerage pollution from the septic tanks. The sub-themes of the conference Cheptoris said it was the second time KXngX and greater MattXga. system because it is expensive,” “It is expensive to reach everybody are water, food, energy-ecosystem the event was being organised. The first Residents of K\anMa, MasooOi Mugisha said while speaking at the with a sewerage system. We are giving nexus, environment and society, one was last year. and Sarts of *a\a]a ZiOO aOso Uganda Water Resources Institute in people water first,” Mugisha said. green growth, blue economy, as well He said the event has been supported Eeneot. Entebbe during a panel discussion to The discussion was held under as SDGs and financing sustainable by Water Aid, IRC International, UNDP PiSed Zater shaOO aOso Ee mark Uganda Water and Environment the theme, Water and Environment development. and Rotary International, among e[tended to residents of Week (UWEWK), organised by the a Strategic Driver in the Attainment Friday will be set aside for the others. %andZe, KinaZa, NakaZXka, water ministry and its partners. of Sustainable Development Goals celebration of the World Water Day, 6egXkX, KataOe, NaOXmXn\e and He added: “The septic tanks will (SDGs). Forestry Day (March 21) and World Filed by Gerald Tenywa, Agnes Sarts of %XnamZa\a in Ma\. continue to be a stop-gap measure.” The week-long event started on Metrological Day (March 23). Nantambi and Juliet Waiswa Uganda loses 34% of surface water ‘Lack of political will sinking environment’ By Vision Reporter By Vision Reporter is to educate society about a Children national concern which directly Uganda has lost 34% of its FolleFting The Wakiso district chairperson, affects them. However, the surface water in about 20 years, water at Matia Lwanga Bwanika, mistake that is always made is according to Florence Adongo, a dried- has called for political will organising exhibitions in areas a director of water resources up water from Government to fight where people already know management at the water sourFe. The environmental degradation in what is being talked about. ministry. population the country. “Most exhibitions target people Quoting from a report on the may be Bwanika believes that lack who already know the impact of assessment of water resources inFreasing, of political will has led to the their actions — the very people in the country, Adongo said but the increasing rate of degradation in degrading the environment. the water resources were water the country. Back then, the people who declining due to the rise in the resourFes Speaking during the Water degraded the environment population. She also said most are and Environment Week at the were ignorant, but these days, people sink deep wells to tap reduFing Water Resources Institute in knowledgeable people are the ground water, which takes a Entebbe, Bwanika stressed that “There is no perpetrators, yet they are even long time to replenish. the capacity to destroy the impact on the environment,” environmental degradation has more powerful and politically The rampant destruction of environment. he said, adding that although continued in the country due to political will connected,” he said. forests and wetlands has also “The people who destroy some of the industrialists lack of proper law enforcement Bwanika said such people contributed to the worrisome the environment can have built effluent treatment by the Government. to save the know the adverse effects of situation. access Environment Impact plants, most of the small-scale “When you look at the current environmental degradation, “Water is becoming scarce Assessment studies (EIA). industrialists do not care about scenario, there is no political will but only care about their selfish because the population is behavioral change will stop the environment. to save the environment because environment interests. increasing, but the water them from destroying the Badagawa recommended there is no law enforcement “They dump soil in wetlands resources are reducing,’’ said environment,” he added. that the National Environment mechanism. We used to have because there is no in order to take free land and Adong. Bwanika said NEMA was Management Authority teams local administration Police, release industrial wastes directly “Underground water takes a threatened by the rich people up with the local government to but it was merged with the law enforcement into the lake. Some are involved long time to replenish. There is a who destroy the environment, sensitise the population about mainstream Police, with all the in sand mining. Such people lot of environmental destruction which is why they do not the benefits of protecting the powers being controlled by the occupy important positions in and water wastage,” she said. confront them. environment. Inspector General of Police. This mechanism,” Bwanika the country, but do not even Adong was yesterday speaking “NEMA officials do not Richard Sewakiryanga, who has not yielded results,” he said. bother to show up for the during a panel discussion at the intervene when they see heads the NGO Forum, said Bwanika called for new exhibitions,” he said Water Resources Institute in somebody destroying the commercialisation of water was strategies geared towards indicator that if people continue Eng. Richard Matua, the Entebbe. The panel discussion environment because they risk partly to blame for the poor sensitising people about the to refill the wetlands and commissioner of urban was part of the Uganda losing their jobs,” he said. sanitation among the urban impact of their actions such that destroy all other surrounding water and sewerage services, Water and Environment Week Gideon Badagawa, the head poor. change can be realised. catchments, there will be other observed that both water (UWEWK) 2019. of Private sector Foundation, “Why is sanitation a problem? He said in the next 10 years, natural disasters,” he warned. and the environment are the Matia Lwanga Bwanika, the said while the population is Because water has become Uganda will face a natural Bwanika suggested that basic drivers of economic chairperson of Wakiso district, expanding, the ecosystem is a commodity. The poor disaster if no law is put in educative exhibitions be set transformation in the country said behavioural change is not. community accesses it in small place to combat environmental up in areas with the targeted and must be guarded jealously. needed among the big shots “We have a huge population quantities and expensively,” he degradation. audience in order to achieve the “We must be tough on these because they are the ones with that does not understand its said. “River Mayanja breaking intended goals. people because we need water its banks was just a natural “The essence of the exhibition to survive,” he said.