Ban concrete tombs - Environment minister
Apr 09, 2009
THE construction of tombs using concrete and ceramic tiles should be banned due to environmental degradation, the water and environment minister, Maria Mutagamba told MPs on Tuesday.
By Paul Kiwuuwa
THE construction of tombs using concrete and ceramic tiles should be banned due to environmental degradation, the water and environment minister, Maria Mutagamba told MPs on Tuesday.
“I wish to cause debate and raise public awareness. If the public is interested, the proposal may be tabled before Parliament with the proposed law banning polyethylene bags,†Mutagamba told MPs on the national economy committee.
The proposal was first raised by Grace Byarugaba (Isingiro Woman), who noted that if the practice was not checked, the country would become a desert soon.
Mutagamba explained that concrete tiles did not decompose, rendering the soils barren.
She was defending a supplementary budget of $15m (about sh30b) from the World Bank, which is to be extended to the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA).
The money will be used to fight rampant environmental degradation and to plant trees countrywide.
Committee chairperson Stephen Birahwa wondered if the public would not view it as intrusion into their privacy and right to offer a decent burial to beloved ones.
Mutagamba said the public should pay more attention to the future.
She cited Egypt, where tiles and concrete that were used to construct tombs for the Pharaohs long ago, still exist.
The committee proposed that the Government introduces a policy to motivate cultural and religious institutions to mobilise the public to plant trees.
Committee vice-chairperson Nagudi Wangwe (NRM) said cultural and religious leaders were an asset for mobilisation.
Mutagamba said 40 billion cubic meters of forests were destroyed annually in Uganda through human activities.
Finance state minister Fred Omach said the Government allocated sh1b to buy seedlings for tree planting in the 2008/009 financial year.
THE construction of tombs using concrete and ceramic tiles should be banned due to environmental degradation, the water and environment minister, Maria Mutagamba told MPs on Tuesday.
“I wish to cause debate and raise public awareness. If the public is interested, the proposal may be tabled before Parliament with the proposed law banning polyethylene bags,†Mutagamba told MPs on the national economy committee.
The proposal was first raised by Grace Byarugaba (Isingiro Woman), who noted that if the practice was not checked, the country would become a desert soon.
Mutagamba explained that concrete tiles did not decompose, rendering the soils barren.
She was defending a supplementary budget of $15m (about sh30b) from the World Bank, which is to be extended to the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA).
The money will be used to fight rampant environmental degradation and to plant trees countrywide.
Committee chairperson Stephen Birahwa wondered if the public would not view it as intrusion into their privacy and right to offer a decent burial to beloved ones.
Mutagamba said the public should pay more attention to the future.
She cited Egypt, where tiles and concrete that were used to construct tombs for the Pharaohs long ago, still exist.
The committee proposed that the Government introduces a policy to motivate cultural and religious institutions to mobilise the public to plant trees.
Committee vice-chairperson Nagudi Wangwe (NRM) said cultural and religious leaders were an asset for mobilisation.
Mutagamba said 40 billion cubic meters of forests were destroyed annually in Uganda through human activities.
Finance state minister Fred Omach said the Government allocated sh1b to buy seedlings for tree planting in the 2008/009 financial year.