We shall install radar surveillance on our lakes - Museveni

Nov 26, 2018

“For now, we are relying on rudimentary methods to patrol the waters, but we shall advance with installation of surface radars to enable satellite monitoring,” he said.

MARITIME

President Yoweri Museveni has said the Government will install radar surveillance on the lakes to monitor who is on the lake and what they are doing there.

He said previously, the country has always relied on rudimentary methods of patrol.

"For now, we are relying on rudimentary methods to patrol the waters but we shall advance with installation of surface radars to enable satellite monitoring," he said.

Museveni said this on Monday morning while addressing "Sustainable Blue Economy" conference in Nairobi.

 


The conference was about how to sustainably and profitably use our water resources.

"We shall also require electronic registration of all vessels operating on our waters. This way, we shall know who is on the water and what they are doing. We must, for example, ask how many people should be fishing in a square kilometre?"

Museveni had on Sunday morning said there would be registration and monitoring of boats on Lake Victoria after a fatal accident on the lake killed over 30 people on Saturday night. He said the boat was not registered, not licensed and not seaworthy, calling it criminal on the part of the oragisers.

 

The President also told the Nairobi conference that the linkage between our water resources and survival cannot be over-emphasized, saying the greatest challenges to a sustainable blue economy are; soil erosion, pollution, population pressure, bad farming practices like cultivation on steep slopes and need to politically appease the population hence failing to enforce certain regulations.

He said Uganda was committed to tackling these challenges and by discouraging people from cultivating on steep gradient areas to combat soil erosion and eventual silting of our rivers, and avert disasters like landslides.

 

"Our government has also embarked on a campaign to protect vegetation at least 200 metres to the lake shores or 50 metres to the river banks. We are also convincing wetland encroachers to vacate while offering them a modest compensation," he said.

He said Africa can only tackle these issues by pushing the industrialization agenda. "We must look increasing electricity output and create jobs in industries. You will not stop forest encroachment for example by farmers if you do not offer them alternative employment," he said.

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