Our Lakes Are in Crisis

        Fresh water is one of the most vital resources for all life on earth. Uganda is endowed with various natural land forms some of which include lakes and rivers. Examples include Lake Victoria, Lake Edward, Lake Goerge, Lake Albert. Lake Kyoga among others, rivers include River Nile, Katonga river, Kagera, Kafu and Semliki river among others.
Uganda was earlier known as the pearl of Africa but not anymore due to the effect of climate change, the rate at which our motherland is degrading or declaiming is alarming.

Lake Cleanup at Ggaba landing site on the shores of Lake Victoria

Much of the water we count on daily for cooking, washing, bathing and other routine activities is supplied from rivers, lakes and other surface water sources. However, without wide spread care and appropriate protection and treatment systems, our water sources are becoming more polluted. The color of the water changed from blue to green, the level of the water is reducing each and every other day. A lot of dumping in lakes is done to destroy mother nature. The water species are extincting each and every time due to this effect in water bodies. Rivers carry water and nutrients to all areas around the earth, they play a very important part in the water cycle, acting as drainage channels for surface water.

Lakes in Uganda are affected by natural disaster form of pollution from floods that carry all kinds of pollutants into all bodies of water, runoff from the market places, industries, farmlands and suburbs carries oil gasoline, pesticides, sewerage and other various contaminants into water supply. For example Ggaba market on the shores of lake Victoria pours its waste, trash, plastic bottles and other refuse which are also carried away in floods and rainstorms, waste from trenches and open toilets as well. All these pollutants have a negative impact on aquatic Eco-system, thus include chemicals and poisons, old and leaky systems and those damaged by these floods seep into ground water and contaminate drinking water supplies especially local wells.

Lake Cleanup at Ggaba landing site on the shores of Lake Victoria

People living around these lakes and river need to be sensitized about the proper and sustainable ways of preserving them. Proper disposal of industry chemicals, equipment and other pollutants are raised to prevent further pollution of the actual plant. Government has to put more stringent regulations, stiff penalties and public awareness to stop this pollution. Our lakes are in crisis we need to stand up and do something, lakes in Uganda have become dumping grounds, excess weeds and algal are symptoms of a much deeper problem.

As the Organizer Fridays For Future - Uganda am committed to traverse the whole countries lakes and rivers  to strike demanding action to see that Ugandans and people living around these natural land forms embrace there existence but need not to extinct there presence. In my efforts am going to sensitize them about the importance and needs of saving our environment and discourage plastic pollution. In my strike I started with a cleanup on the biggest lake in Africa Lake Victoria commonly known as Nalubabaale the source of the Nile.