Gerald Tenywa and Robert Owiny
23 June 2008
Kampala — Uganda is likely to face long periods of drought and a decrease in crop production, environment minister Maria Mutagamba has warned.
The minister noted that Ugandans do not know how to manage the underground water resources.
The international panel on climate change had predicted a greater increase in temperatures on the African continent, Mutagamba noted.
"In a warmer world, rainfall is expected to occur less frequently but with greater intensity. This shift will not only increase the risk of flooding but also drought and a decrease in crop productivity."
The environment minister made the remarks yesterday during a press conference ahead of an international meeting on underground water and climate change.
Researchers will present findings of studies on the impact of climate change on underground water at the meeting, which will take place at the Speke Resort Munyonyo, Kampala starting today, Mutagamba added.
The meeting is expected to attract over 300 participants.
During the same conference, Dr. Callist Tindimugaya, the acting commissioner in charge of water regulation and monitoring, noted that water is an important resource, which is critical for production of hydro-electric power.
"The drop in water levels of Lake Victoria by 1.6 meters a few years ago reduced the amount of power generated, causing load-shedding."
Tindimugaya explained that each month, the ministries of water and environment and that of energy have to agree on the quantity of water to be released for hydro-power generation.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 New Vision. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
