Kampala — JEKONIAS Musingwire, the NEMA focal person in the western region, has indicated that the months of February and March shall not only be dry, but also extremely hot, a phenomena which is already being felt in western and south western parts of the country and even beyond.

The environment which we are supposed to depend on and handle carefully for better lives, is seriously being compromised by mankind and its activities and if no litigation measures are put in place, we should expect the worst.

Environmental activists have suggested many ways we can intervene in environmental management, but some people have continued to abuse the environment with impunity and these are mostly the rich.

The rich are at the forefront of environmental degradation, but because of their financial power, the authority looks on in awe because they cannot take them on. The list of these personalities is endless, but they are well known in their localities.

The much talked about tree planting programme has been done near water sources and, in extreme cases, in wetlands, which has led to the drying up of these water sources.

In Kabale district, for example, all wetlands were reclaimed in the guise of dairy farming and the temperatures there have changed over the years. The much adored morning mist, which made it the "Switzerland of Africa", are no more, even during the rainy season. This was done by mostly the rich people who could afford the expensive reclamation.

A survey around the country has also revealed that the remaining wetlands are under serious threat by some people as evidenced by last week's eviction of farmers from the River Rwizi water corridor in Ndeija sub-county, Mbarara district.

There is also an issue of tree planting versus food security. A case study is Nyakishenyi sub-county in Rukungiri district, where the banana plantations have been replaced with pine trees at the expense of food production. As a result, severe famine has hit the area. There is also enmass tree harvest in some parts of the country without being appropotionately replaced.

Uganda is slowly getting into the industrial revolution. However, a lot of industrial waste disposal is not being properly regulated. Mind you these are rich capital industrialists whose aim is to make quick profits. And since some of them are foreigners, they will relocate to their countries of origin while we suffer the consequences of their actions.

The big number of vehicles in Uganda has made the need for numerous car washing bays. However, these are located near river banks. The oil and other wastes are disposed of into these waters which have put people's lives at risk.

It has also been noted that the poor who owned land within the wetlands have been compromised by the rich who have bought them off to encroach on them.

Some districts have tried to make ordinances and by-laws to tackle the challenges of environmental degradation, but these have remained on paper because there is no staff to enforce them. Many district environmental offices remain understaffed with little funding.

Local leaders, especially the LCs and religious leaders, who would be at the forefront of educating the masses, have also ignored their responsibilities, despite the many trainings they have got. As a result, the people in the countryside continue to practise poor farming methods, which have led to soil erosion and silting. These vices have a serious implication to the environment.

Whereas environmental abuse and degradation is a serious crime which is punishable by court, you can hardly find a case of environment nature at any police station. Statistics indicate that for the whole of last year, there was no reported case of environmental nature.

Environmental abusers are not arrested because most of them are rich and the Police will only wait for officers to complain before acting.

Lastly, the trade ministry has failed to enforce the ban on the use of polythene bags despite the enabling laws which were enacted several years ago. As we wait to see if the April deadline which was announced by NEMA recently will be adhered to, tonnes of polythene continue to be thrown in our midst.

Now if no remedies and mitigation measures are put in place to change the course of action as far environmental mismanagement is concerned, Ugandans will live to suffer the consequences, which are perpetuated by well-to-do people, who should be the real defenders of the environment since they are exposed to information.

The writer is a resident of Rukungiri