Govt silence on plastics endangers lakes

Lake Victoria is under mainly by human activities. Therefore, until June 5, World Environment Day, in a campaign, Save Lake Victoria, Vision Group media platforms is running  investigation articles, programmes and commentaries highlighting the irresponsible human activities threatening the world’s second largest fresh water lake. Today,  we explore how plastics have become a menace to the environment.

By Gerald Tenywa


IT is like a sewer decorated with plastic bottles, as well as bags. At the clock tower, Nakivubo Channel appears to eb in a hurry to catch up with an urgent appointment as it flows southwards towards Lake Victoria.

At Murchison Bay, which is referred to as the mouth of the lake, the water from the channel reduces speed as it encounters the still lake water.

As it breaks, the silt, sewage and plastic materials, including buveera (plastic bags) drop down and settle at the bed of the lake.

Over the years, Murchison Bay has clogged with all kinds of rubbish, including plastic materials. This, according to environmental experts, poses danger to breeding grounds of fish. Plastics could also end up in the food chain of fish and birds.

“It is something experts should answer after research, but the lake is facing danger of getting plastic blanket from the plastics piling it,” Jackson Kitamirike, a water ministry official, says.

Dr. Aryamanya Mugisha, the former executive director of the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), says: ” If you have plastic bags in a breeding ground, the fish will die. Plastic bags block air and suffocate millions of young fish.”

Mugisha adds that not only does plastic suffocate the fish, but the fish get poisoned when they ingest the particles.

This comes hot on the heels of a new research report in the US, which pointed out that young fish die when pierced by sharp objects or after eating plastics that they cannot digest.

“Plastic is made to last, so it degrades very slowly in the seas, breaking into smaller and smaller fragments. These tiny pieces of plastic are known as micro-plastic,” states the report generated from the research done in the Pacific Ocean in Hawaii.

Plastics banned, implementation pending

Mugisha says the careless disposal of plastic bags and misuse of plastic bags as toilets has far-reaching environmental effects. They poison the soil, block drains and create a health hazard.

However, although the Government has in effect banned the use of buvera, implentation of the ban is still pending.

Environmental activists take up buveera fight

Kenneth Kakuru, an environmental lawyer, says Green Watch, an environmental litigation non- government organisation, has taken up the fight against plastic bags.

“We are seeking an appointment with the natural resources committee of Parliament,” Kakuru told New Vision. “We want to tell them about Court ruling on plastic bags.”

Last year, the High Court in Kampala has upheld the view by Green Watch, that ‘kaveera’ use violates the right for Ugandans to a clean and healthy environment bringing a decade long case to conclusion.

Green Watch had filed the suit a decade ago seeking a declaration that the manufacture, distribution, use, sale, disposal of plastic bags and plastic containers, plastic food wrappers, all forms of plastic, violates the rights of Ugandans to a clean and healthy environment.

They also asked the High Court to ban the manufacture, use, distribution, and sale of plastic bags and plastic containers of less than 100 microns.

In addition to this, they wanted an order directing the Attorney General and NEMA to issue regulations for the proper use and disposal of all other plastics whose thickness is more than 100 microns.

But although the High Court in Kampala granted the order on October 5, last year, implementation is yet to be done

The implication of the outcome from High Court

Asked about the implications of the High Court order, Ssekyana says, “As Greenwatch, we are going to push for the bill on plastic bags. We are going to start with dialogue with the different parties to establish the implications of all this in order to enforce ruling of the High Court.”

She added: “Fortunately, there is already a bill on plastic bags and when it is concluded we are going to ensure that the anti-kaveera law is enforced.”

Previous failed bans on plastics

In 2007, the Government banned plastic bags of 30 microns and below. It also imposed heavy taxes on plastic bags of the size between 30 microns and 100 microns.

This was followed by tighter legislation in June 2009, when the Government announced total ban of plastics of 100 microns and below.

“The legislation is there and what remains is to bring the different institutions together and implement the ban. We want to phase out the production and use of plastic bags,” Dr. Gerald Musoke, the deputy executive director of NEMA explains.

Asked why the Government was halfhearted about the ban, Musoke points out that the previous Water minister Maria Mutagamba was opposed to the ban.

“In 2007, we banned the production and importation of the bags that are 30 microns and below but it did not work,” Mutagamba observed.

Three years ago, Mutagamba and Aggrey Awori, who was at that time Minister of Communication and Technology disagreed over the same matter, which was being discussed by the Parliamentary Committee on Finance.

She argued that banning of the importation and manufacture of all polythene bags would force industries to close and cause unemployment.

Awori told the parliamentary committee on Finance that the environmental impact of the bags, far outweighed the economic cost of banning them.

“Country comes first and other interests later,” Awori said. “The ban is on.”

However, Mutagamba argued that it was more realistic to find ways of managing the disposal of the polythene bags, which are notorious for clogging drainage channels and causing flooding, especially in built-up areas.

In the recent Cabinet reshuffle, Mutagamba was relocated from the Ministry of Water and Environment to the Ministry of Tourism.

Following the ban, Mutagamba took a different turn saying that the waste  from plastic bags should be recycled. She pointed out that this would keep investors in business, provide employment and also provide income to the urban poor engaged in collection of the plastic waste.

Kaveera ban to be revived

The ban is still there, but its implementation is still a problem, according to Dr. Tom Okurut, the executive director of NEMA.

“We have contradictions from the various sector ministries,” says Okurut. “The discussions on how to operationalise it are still going on.”

Okurut added, “We have to appreciate the several actors and what they are doing. This is what has bogged down the implementation of the ban.”

Ssekyana says they have made an appointment with the natural resources committee to engage Parliament on the Court order to conclude the debate on the draft bill on plastic bags.

Parliament is likely to turn the fire to the relevant arms of Government to phase out plastic bags.

“We have a meeting this week with ministry of environment officials and we are going to ask them to show cause why they are not implementing provisions of the kaveera ban.

I know the anti-ban lobby is strong, but we are also firm on the recommendation banning plastic bags.

We cannot have plastic bags against the interest of the people,” Michael Werikhe, the chairperson of the natural resources committee of Parliament, explains.