The Ministry of Water and Environment has put in place a number of strategies intended to reduce environmental degradation and mitigate the effects of climate change.
The Minister for Water and Environment, Sam Cheptoris, said that the ministry has developed plans to increase water catchment areas in the country in order to avert the effects of climate change.
“Currently, catchment management plans have been developed for 22 catchments out of 32 in the country. The plan is to facilitate coordinated planning and implementation, reverse the degradation of ecosystems, increase ecosystem resilience and productivity, and improve community livelihoods,” Cheptoris stated.
He made these remarks on March 18, 2024, during the launch of the Water and Environment Week celebrations in Luzira. Under the theme “Rethinking Collective Action and Innovative Solutions to Water and Environment, Climate Change Crisis in Uganda.”
According to Cheptoris, poor management of natural resources has led to increased climate change effects in the process.
Cheptoris noted that the emerging practices that have led to environmental degradation are likely to affect the nature of water, and the government needs to put more efforts into industrialising the country’s water since water is a key resource.
He emphasised that climate change remains a major challenge due to the adverse effects caused by extreme weather patterns, especially floods, landslides, and drought, affecting different parts of the country.
The 7th Uganda Water and Environment Week 2024 will run from March 18–22, 2024, and will focus on the sub-themes of sustainable utilisation of water and environmental resources for economic development, nature-based solutions to solve the water environment, and the climate change crisis.
Uganda Water and Environment started in 2018 with the aim of promoting a multinational and integrated approach that links all sectors of the water and environment in making explorations and deliberations of climate resilience. The week commemorates three sector days: World Water Day, World Forestry Day, and World Meteorological Day.
