Nakasongola, Masindi environment destroyed

Jun 21, 2004

IT is hard to believe that most hills in Masindi and Nakasongola were once snow-capped.

By Christopher Kiwawulo

IT is hard to believe that most hills in Masindi and Nakasongola were once snow-capped according John Majara, the Masindi LC5 boss, the hills, which used to be snow-capped are currently snow-free with a few short and wilting plants.

I stared keenly at every point we passed by on our way to Masindi recently.

All I could see along the serpentine Nakasongla and Masindi roads were bags of charcoal and burnt bushes with young grass, on which herds of cattle grazed.

You could travel for miles without seeing a garden. Only herdsmen with their cattle emerged from the shrubs. Signposts reading, ‘cattle crossing ahead’ were common. The cattle were of poor quality.

Herdsmen said they competed for pasture due to the shortage of water. Although grass and water were scarce, milk still remains cheap, selling at sh300 a litre.
Several tributaries of River Kafu that traverse the hidden valleys in Masindi have dried up and now water is very scarce.

The minister of state for environment, Lt. Gen. Jeje Odongo, attributed this to human activities such as bush burning and indiscriminate tree felling.

Speaking at the launch of Masindi forestry department offices recently, Odongo said, “if such activities continue, the country risks becoming a desert.”

He said his ministry would take drastic measures against indiscriminate tree fellers.
Majara said the water level had gone down due to bush and charcoal burning, which are rampant in the area.

“By nature, most inhabitants of Nakasongola and Masindi districts are cattle keepers, whose characteristics include bush burning to create new pasture. This poses a threat to the environment,” said Majara.
He decried the high rate at which the acassia tree species is disappearing at the hands of charcoal burners.

He added, “These tree species can neither be eaten by termites nor rot, but have been attacked by charcoal burners.” Masindi district came up with an environment ordinance and has teamed up with Bunyoro Kingdom and the British American Tobacco (BAT)-Uganda, to plant over 150,000 trees.

BAT-Uganda, which has asked district authorities to allocate it the surrounding hills for tree planting, has also pledged to provide 700,000 more trees for planting on roadsides in Masindi district.

Bunyoro Kingdom has on the other hand, provided 140 acres of land to any one wishing to lease it for tree planting. The Kingdom has also appointed Saza chiefs to collaborate with Masindi district authorities in the tree-planting exercise.

Majara said in their ordinance, they would plant trees at all public functions in the district to revive the glory of the area’s environment.

“We have also included this programme in schools, where we have asked teachers to encourage pupils to plant trees in their school compounds.”

In another development, Majara advised Masindi residents to dedicate at least a quarter of their land to crop farming in order to secure food in the area. He said the crops would not only fight famine, but also protect the environment like any other crop.

Christer Hermansson, who represented Sigurd Illing, the head of the EU to Uganda, pledged more support to the environment conservation campaign in the country.

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