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By Julius Mugaga Tukacungurwa/KMA Updates.
Isingiro, Western Uganda: Oxfam and partners, District officials and community members plant over 100 trees at Isingiro District Headquarters during International Earth Day cerebrations in the area.
Members of Civil Society Organizations pose for a group photo with officials of Isingiro District after the International Earth Day cerebrations at District Headquarters on Friday. Photo by Julius Mugaga Tukacungurwa.
While addressing the gathering on Friday, Mugarura Edward, the Deputy Chief Administrative Officer of Isingiro District commits to partners and the community that the district is willing to directly intervene in all activities geared to conserve mother earth in collaboration with them.
He applauds Oxfam and partners for selectively thinking about Isingiro district and blessing them with trees that were planted around the district headquarters as a gin-pig of the robust activities/district plans geared towards greening and restoring Isingiro again.
Mugarura Edward, the Deputy Chief Administrative Officer of Isingiro District delivers his keynote address to the gathering during the International Earth Day cerebrations at District Headquarters on Friday. Photo by Julius Mugaga Tukacungurwa.
He says if it means instituting strict laws directed to the cause, they will do because the district is currently facing environmental hazards like flooding, landslides, erosion from the hills and other dangerous human activities like encroachment on buffer areas like wetlands, cutting down of trees, poor disposal of wastes which in a long run are a great catastrophe to the earth’s setting.
Mugarura stresses that with the theme “Investing in our Planet” pledges to maintain the trees gifted to them by fencing around them and accord them regular care then urged locals to involve themselves directly starting from their homes to have this campaign bear fruits.
Speaking during the press conference before official International Earth Day Cerebrations, Bwengye Emmanuel, the Isingiro District Natural Resources Officer echoes that the district has lined up a series of action plan to have the environment of Isingiro restored.
Bwengye Emmanuel, the Isingiro District Natural Resources Officer address journalists during a Press Conference at Isingiro District Headquarters before International Earth Day cerebrations on Friday. Photo by Julius Mugaga Tukacungurwa.
He says activities like greening hills (planting trees on hills), institutional greening (planting trees on different institutions like churches, local governments, schools, mosques and others), restoration of ecosystem and fragile areas, road reserve tree planting, agro-forestry and bee keeping, fish farming, restoring energy like use of charcoal saving stoves, use of biogas all of which clean cooking ways.
Bwengye quoted the bible in Deuteronomy 20:19 “When you lay siege to a city for an extended time while fighting against it to capture it, you must not destroy its trees by putting an axe to them, because you can eat their fruit. You must not cut them down. Are the trees of the field human, that you should besiege them?”, says if human being change their bad actions, the nature would surely not be affected.
Mugarura Edward, the Deputy Chief Administrative Officer of Isingiro District and Bwengye Emmanuel, the Isingiro District Natural Resources Officer consult during the International Earth Day cerebrations at District Headquarters on Friday. Photo by Julius Mugaga Tukacungurwa.
Members of Civil Society Organizations and community members march to plant trees in the District Grounds after International Earth Day cerebrations at Isingiro District Headquarters on Friday. Photo by Julius Mugaga Tukacungurwa.
He says climate change has a great impact on people’s living and their activities like agriculture is heavily affected by drought and floods from hills, global warming due to direct sunlight hence affecting everything on earth’s surface and this is why Isingiro district has started on interventions aimed to curb this.
“We have already instituted coordination teams at the district to implement all the action plans in collaboration with partners in the area as well most farmers have started planting trees in their homes”. He added.
He however decried limited funding from the central government for environment and climate related issues but says the district needs extra funding to be integrated into its work plans and budgets.
In the same Press Conference, Jackson Muhindo Rukara, the Oxfam in Uganda Resilience and Climate Justice Coordinator says the organization is concerned with the global climate crisis and for that every Ugandan must act to resist climate havoc now.
Jackson Muhindo Rukara, the Oxfam in Uganda Resilience and Climate Justice Coordinator gives a rejoinder on action plan for climate crisis during a Press Conference at Isingiro District headquarters before International Earth Day cerebrations on Friday. Photo by Julius Mugaga Tukacungurwa.
He says, Oxfam is supporting partners ( CIDI, the Africa Climate Reality Group) in organizing the earth day. Oxfam with support from the Swedish International Development Agency – SIDA has provided funding for the campaign and advocacy activities for the commemoration of the earth day.
He rallied Ugandans especially residents of Isingiro district to change their actions and act positively to the environment and directly engage in different adaptation ways.
“I report with concern that there are large amounts of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere largely contributed by the developed countries with industries and it is said that if we removed carbon in the atmosphere today, it would take us more than 50 years to remove that already in the soil”. Muhindo mentioned.
Hellen Kasujja, the Deputy Executive Director of Community Integrated Development Initiative, CIDI asks everyone to go back to their roots and make sure they do something that will enable the knowledge equipped to them towards restoration of mother Earth does not die with them.
Hellen Kasujja, the Deputy Executive Director of Community Integrated Development Initiative, CIDI delivers her remarks during a Press Conference in Isingiro District before International Earth Day cerebrations on Friday. Photo by Julius Mugaga Tukacungurwa.
She appeals to the Central government to allocate resources to the local government directed towards tackling climate impacts as the area is heavily destabilized as result of climatic change.
To fellow partners, Hellen asks how have they empowered the local governments implement their action plans?, how do local governments ensure they utilize labor intensive public work?, how have farmers/community sustain trees planted?, the private sector should as well invest in all these interventions as part of their Social Cooperate Responsibility,(CSR) and be highly concerned of what they produce.
Betty Rose Aguti, the Policy and Advocacy Specialist at Caritas Uganda and the national coordinator of The Uganda Farmers’ Common Voice Platform mentions that there is need for the people of Isingiro district to practice the 4Rs of Waste Management, Recycling being a key activity in managing waste responsibly, others being Reduce, Reuse and Rethink– as it becomes a very effective way for each of us to maximize our resources and minimize waste.
Betty Rose Aguti, Policy and Advocacy Specialist at Caritas Uganda and National Coordinator of The Uganda Farmers’ Common Voice Platform, (UFCVP) speaks during the International Earth Day cerebrations on Friday at Isingiro District Headquarters. Photo by Julius Mugaga Tukacungurwa.
She goes on to call the community over there to reduce the use of fuel like wood rather opt for clean energy like use of charcoal saving stoves as it is now adopted by the district.
“We all however need to act if we are to save and restore mother Earth because it’s our actions that have impacted heavily on the climate crisis in Uganda in general”. She adds.
She says that Caritas Uganda and The Uganda Farmers’ Common Voice Platform have involved themselves in different actions like educating farmers on the use of clean energy like charcoal saving stoves, partnering with Denmark for ECOCA Solar cook stoves in Bidi Bidi and Palorinya Refugee settlements, teach farmers and the community to plant trees and do best farming practices that respect environmental setting.