Govt wants hyacinth project to continue
Apr 18, 2006
THE Government has asked the Egyptian government to extend the water hyacinth project for another three years.
By David Muwanga
THE Government has asked the Egyptian government to extend the water hyacinth project for another three years.
The Uganda-Egypt Aquatic Weed Control project coordinator, Omar Wadda, said recently that the Government was yet to make a plan for the maintenance of the project that started in 1999.
“However, the project ends in December. But the waterweed will continue to grow and affect the fish industry,†Wadda said.
“We still need support from the Egyptian government for the project to continue as government and the Nile Basin Initiative put in place a programme to maintain the removal of the weed in the lakes,†Wadda told reporters at the project’s office in Bugolobi, Kampala.
The $13.9m Egyptian funded project is under agriculture ministry.
“Nineteen fish landing sites have been worked on but five need to be re-done while 12 new ones are being considered,†he said.
The project’s executive director, Dr. Ahmed Ragab, said 16 million tonnes of water hyacinth had been removed from Lake Victoria, Kyoga, Albert and River Kagera.
He said the water-weed that starts from Ruhengyeri in Rwanda, was affecting fishermen who cannot becuase they cannot access the lakes.
“It has affected the fishermen and the national revenue since fishermen cannot access the waters,†Ragab said.
He said due to reduced water levels, they had started constructing channels to support fishermen access landing sites. He pledged to raise the issue of extending the project with the technical committee.
meeting to be held in Uganda mid-next month.
Ends
THE Government has asked the Egyptian government to extend the water hyacinth project for another three years.
The Uganda-Egypt Aquatic Weed Control project coordinator, Omar Wadda, said recently that the Government was yet to make a plan for the maintenance of the project that started in 1999.
“However, the project ends in December. But the waterweed will continue to grow and affect the fish industry,†Wadda said.
“We still need support from the Egyptian government for the project to continue as government and the Nile Basin Initiative put in place a programme to maintain the removal of the weed in the lakes,†Wadda told reporters at the project’s office in Bugolobi, Kampala.
The $13.9m Egyptian funded project is under agriculture ministry.
“Nineteen fish landing sites have been worked on but five need to be re-done while 12 new ones are being considered,†he said.
The project’s executive director, Dr. Ahmed Ragab, said 16 million tonnes of water hyacinth had been removed from Lake Victoria, Kyoga, Albert and River Kagera.
He said the water-weed that starts from Ruhengyeri in Rwanda, was affecting fishermen who cannot becuase they cannot access the lakes.
“It has affected the fishermen and the national revenue since fishermen cannot access the waters,†Ragab said.
He said due to reduced water levels, they had started constructing channels to support fishermen access landing sites. He pledged to raise the issue of extending the project with the technical committee.
meeting to be held in Uganda mid-next month.
Ends