Gladys Kalibbala
25 March 2008
Kampala — THE Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) has given $1.9m (about sh3.2b) to the East African Communities Organisations for the Management of Lake Victoria Resources (ECOVIC) for an environmental monitoring project.
The agreement was recently signed between Frank Muramuzi, the ECOVIC chairman and Kikki Nordin, the head of SIDA/Lake Victoria Initiative at the Swedish Embassy in Kampala.
The project aims at eradicating poverty among the communities living within the Lake Victoria basin through sustainable management of the environment. Sengendo Kaweesa, the ECOVICâ-àregional director, explained that the programme advocates laws that promote sustainable utilisation of the lake resources.
According to research, Lake Victoria, the world's second largest fresh water body, is on the verge of losing its eco-system due to excessive exploitation and increased human action.
Kaweesa called upon the East African bodies concerned with the legislation of fishing policies to consult with the communities around the Lake Victoria region before any laws are passed.
"Many fishing laws are impossible to implement at the moment as each of the East African countries involved has different fishing laws," Kaweesa commented.
He said while Uganda's fishermen were governed by strict laws, other countries in the region were quiet about illegal fishing practices.
"The various strict laws being set up by such bodies may end up hurting the communities and driving them into deeper poverty if the policy makers don't change tactics and involve them in finding out solutions," he warned.
Kaweesa said the three-year project would support the communities' initiatives in addressing livelihood challenges.
"By the end of three years, we expect the communities to possess more knowledge on the maintenance of the lake for every one's benefit," he noted.
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