By KT Reporter
Leaders in Madi Okollo and Terego districts have appealed to host and refugee communities to join efforts to reduce the area’s increasing deforestation.
According to reports from the natural resource office of the two districts, 90 percent of households rely on wood fuel for cooking, which has directly affected the level of deforestation in the areas. The leaders are now urging the locals and development partners to take deliberate efforts to curb the increasing levels of deforestation and also embark on environmental conservation efforts.
Currently, as most of the districts in West Nile have started receiving rains, Terego, Madi Okollo, Yumbe, Moyo, and Obongi are still experiencing a dry spell.
Some opinion leaders suggest that increasing electricity distribution and usage in these refugee-hosting districts would help curb the rampant cutting down of trees for both household and commercial purposes.
William Onzima, the Natural Resource Officer for Madi Okollo District, warned that the alarming deforestation in the district is a result of increasing human activities, that has left most of the land bare. He encourages development partners and community members to embrace tree planting as a measure to mitigate climate change.
Stella Driciru, the Female Councilor for Uriama Sub-County in Terego district, where there is a high level of deforestation, explains that women have been forced to cut down the existing trees, as there is no alternative source of fuel for cooking. Driciru, however, revealed that given the plight of women in the district and West Nile, the council is planning to draft an ordinance to prohibit deforestation, but call for extension and reduction of electricity tariffs as an alternative.
Following an alarming trend of commercial charcoal production in greater Arua three years ago, the then district council was forced to enact a by-law which, for years, helped reduce uncontrolled human activity on the environment, but due to laxity in enforcement, this trend has resumed at a competitive rate among the locals.
In Yumbe district, Abdulmutwalib Asiku, the LCV Chairperson, said that as a result of the increasing environmental destruction, they have been forced to procure and distribute tree seedlings to the locals to plant, which the council supervises to ensure that every household is engaged in conserving the environment.
The continuous reliance on vegetation cover for fuel and other forms of livelihoods has resulted in drastic changes in weather patterns, increasing food insecurity and harsh weather conditions, which calls for urgent action from all stakeholders-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
