Speaker Anita Among has called on Ugandans to be champions of environmental conservation in their communities.
She made the call yesterday while presiding over the House noting that the country is experiencing, unusually high temperatures.
“This is a reminder that climate change is real and unless we take deliberate mitigation measures, we remain at risk,” she said.
January and February of this year have been unusually hot with temperatures ranging from 27°C to 30°C.
The minister for Water and Environment, Beatrice Anywar, decried the lack of sufficient resources to facilitate climate change interventions.
She expressed frustration over competing budgetary priorities and beseeched the House to consider allocating more funds to the Ministry.
“The interventions are slow-paced, but it is not deliberate. We work within the available budget,” she said.
The minister of State for Trade, David Bahati, informed the House that he had been directed by the president to commence the process of compensating people who will vacate the wetlands in Kigezi, Busoga, and other regions to protect the environment.
Kole North MP, Samuel Acuti said that Northern Uganda is facing extreme effects of the heatwave which he attributed to rampant charcoal burning in the area.
“There is a need to come up with strong regulations on the charcoal trade in the country. And even with afforestation, we should mind the kind of trees we are planting. You cannot cut down mahogany and plant pine trees,” he said.
