Kampala — The ice cap on Rwenzori, one of the world's most treasured mountains, is fast melting and could disappear within 40 years, an environmental expert has warned.

Dr Aryamanya Mugisha, the executive director of the National Environment Management Authority, told Daily Monitor in an interview yesterday that the melting of the ice on one of the peaks of the Rwenzori Mountains have largely been a result of climatic changes like global warming.

"Because of rising temperatures over the years, the ice cap has been melting and this has increased the volumes of water which flows into River Semiliki and if nothing is done by 2050 the whole ice will be no more," he said.

The Uganda Wildlife Authority last week said the ice cap on the mountains highest peak had split because of global warming. The mountain is located on the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and has a height of 5,109m.

Six peaks

Mount Rwenzori has at least six peaks but Margherita is its highest and most popular with mountain climbers. The National State of Environment Report 2008 reveals that areas around the Rwenzoris have shown consistent air temperature increases of about 0.5OC per decade since the 1960s.

The large flow of melting ice into River Semiliki, Dr Aryamanya said, has affected the mountain's vegetation and biodiversity and led to erosion, silting and degradation of the vegetation.

Dr Aryamanya said the fast melting rate of the ice will also change the weather patterns in the Rwenzori region which have been generally cooler than most parts of the country. "As a solution, we need to ensure that livestock don't go into the river and that we re-vegetate the areas that have been eroded and trees are not cut," he explained.

A recent report by the United National Environment Programme reveals that the glaciers on the mountain had declined by 50 per cent between 1987 and 2003. "A century ago the glaciers of the Rwenzori Mountains covered nearly 6.5 km2. If the glaciers continue to recede, as they have since 1906, they will be gone in the next 20 years," the report shows.

It notes that the glacial recession is generally attributed to increased air temperature and decreased snow accumulation during the twentieth century. The mountain range was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1994. Environment degradation in the country has partly been linked to impunity as people have attacked wetlands and degraded natural forests.

Yesterday, MPs put the government on the spot over climate change, saying the country has been made a dumping ground. "We keep importing these junks from Japan which have been banned there," said Mbale MP Jack Wamai, "If we don't act now, we will be in trouble." Busongora South MP Christopher Kibanzanga painted a grim picture and warned that if nothing is done to deal with climate change, "you will all die."