Lake Victoria disappearing â€" Eriyo
Jun 08, 2009
Ugandans are contributing to the disappearance of Lake Victoria without knowing, environment state minister Jessica Eriyo has said. “Ugandans should respect the lake and de-silt it to prevent it from disappearing the way Lake Chad did. Now a road goes
By Jude Katende
Ugandans are contributing to the disappearance of Lake Victoria without knowing, environment state minister Jessica Eriyo has said. “Ugandans should respect the lake and de-silt it to prevent it from disappearing the way Lake Chad did. Now a road goes through what was Lake Chad,†she said.
Eriyo made the remarks on Thursday at a tree planting exercise in Entebbe where she was chief guest.
The exercise was initiated by telecommunication firm MTN and the National Forestry Authority. After planting a tree at Kyewaga National Forest Reserve in Abaita Ababiri, Eriyo said the reserve protects Lake Victoria.
Previously, people encroached on the reserve and used it as an abattoir with all the waste from cattle ending up in the lake.
“Once water is polluted, it becomes expensive to purify,†Eriyo explained. The minister said with about 80% of Ugandans benefiting from natural resources, their protection is needed.
She added that trees, being the lungs of the atmosphere, act like human lungs thus the need for protection. Eriyo said the trees planted in Entebbe are the best for mitigation of the environment.
“I also use charcoal like many of you, but we need to use this charcoal sparingly. We should plant more trees whenever we cut some for charcoal,†Eriyo asserted.
The event was meant to coincide with the World Environment Day on Friday. The day was part of MTN’s corporate social responsibility dubbed ‘21 days of Yello care.’
For 21 days each year, MTN staff dedicate a portion of their salaries to community projects. The executive director of the forestry body, Damien Ankankwasa, said MTN staff would plant more tress in Kyewaga during the rainy season between August and September.
Ugandans are contributing to the disappearance of Lake Victoria without knowing, environment state minister Jessica Eriyo has said. “Ugandans should respect the lake and de-silt it to prevent it from disappearing the way Lake Chad did. Now a road goes through what was Lake Chad,†she said.
Eriyo made the remarks on Thursday at a tree planting exercise in Entebbe where she was chief guest.
The exercise was initiated by telecommunication firm MTN and the National Forestry Authority. After planting a tree at Kyewaga National Forest Reserve in Abaita Ababiri, Eriyo said the reserve protects Lake Victoria.
Previously, people encroached on the reserve and used it as an abattoir with all the waste from cattle ending up in the lake.
“Once water is polluted, it becomes expensive to purify,†Eriyo explained. The minister said with about 80% of Ugandans benefiting from natural resources, their protection is needed.
She added that trees, being the lungs of the atmosphere, act like human lungs thus the need for protection. Eriyo said the trees planted in Entebbe are the best for mitigation of the environment.
“I also use charcoal like many of you, but we need to use this charcoal sparingly. We should plant more trees whenever we cut some for charcoal,†Eriyo asserted.
The event was meant to coincide with the World Environment Day on Friday. The day was part of MTN’s corporate social responsibility dubbed ‘21 days of Yello care.’
For 21 days each year, MTN staff dedicate a portion of their salaries to community projects. The executive director of the forestry body, Damien Ankankwasa, said MTN staff would plant more tress in Kyewaga during the rainy season between August and September.