Climate Change Challenges in Uganda: Flooding Impacts and the Katonga river Incident

 Uganda, a captivating country in East Africa, is confronting the severe consequences of climate change. Rising temperatures, unpredictable rainfall patterns, and an increasing frequency of extreme weather events have led to significant challenges. In particular, several districts in Uganda face recurring floods that disrupt lives and infrastructure. Furthermore, the recent Katonga river incident, which resulted into the collapsing of the Katonga bridge due to flooding, highlights the urgent need to address climate change's impacts on the country's environment and communities.Uganda's districts, such as Kasese, Bududa, and Bundibugyo, are particularly susceptible to flooding. These areas are characterized by hilly terrain, high rainfall, and poor land management practices. The combination of these factors exacerbates the risk of devastating floods. To mitigate these challenges, Uganda is implementing measures such as early warning systems, improved infrastructure, and community-based disaster preparedness programs. These initiatives aim to protect vulnerable communities and minimize the impact of flooding on lives and livelihoods.The recent Katonga incident, where flooding cut off the transportation link between Kampala and Masaka, highlighted the vulnerability of Uganda's infrastructure to climate change. Heavy rainfall caused the Katonga River to burst its banks, resulting in widespread destruction and temporary isolation of these major cities. The incident emphasized the urgent need for robust infrastructure planning and improved climate resilience measures. Uganda is now investing in flood management systems, upgrading road networks, and enhancing urban planning to mitigate the risks associated with future flood events

WHAT IS UGANDA DOING TO PREVAIL OVER CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate Adaptation and Resilient Communities: To combat climate change, Uganda is focusing on building resilient communities. This includes initiatives such as promoting sustainable land management practices, afforestation programs, and the adoption of climate-smart agricultural techniques. By empowering communities with knowledge and resources, Uganda aims to enhance their resilience and ability to adapt to the changing climate. Additionally, community-led efforts to strengthen early warning systems, emergency preparedness, and response mechanisms are crucial in minimizing the impact of flooding and other climate-related disasters.Sustainable Water Resource Management: Climate change significantly affects water resources in Uganda. Increased rainfall variability, coupled with poor water resource management, leads to water scarcity and flooding episodes. To address this issue, Uganda is implementing integrated water resource management strategies, including the construction of water retention structures, riverbank restoration, and the promotion of sustainable irrigation practices. By safeguarding water resources, Uganda aims to ensure a stable water supply for both agricultural activities and domestic use, even in the face of climate change.Uganda's battle against climate change encompasses addressing the recurring challenges of flooding and the recent Katonga incident. By focusing on district-specific flood mitigation measures, infrastructure planning, and climate adaptation efforts, Uganda aims to build resilient communities and protect vital infrastructure. Furthermore, sustainable water resource management strategies play a crucial role in enhancing the country's climate resilience. However, continued support from the international community, along with effective policies and partnerships, is essential to strengthen Uganda's capacity to tackle climate change's profound impacts. Through collective efforts, we can safeguard Uganda's environment and communities, promoting a sustainable and resilient future for all.

Article By:

 NINSIIMA BRIDGET

Social worker and social activist

Meet One Of Our Founders

RANDA AL TURABI

I am aSudanese environmental activist. Due to my academic background studying environmental science; I developed an interesting climate change and sustainable development issues. I am also very much interested to work with communities and to implement community outreach activities.

I am passionate about voluntary work; I have been engaged in number of voluntary community initiatives since 2011. During my university study I was volunteering to organize university’s social and cultural events. Also, in 2011, I was a member in the Executive Committee of Sudanese Assembly of Youth (SAY), an NGO that works in youth development. In 2015, I coordinated the World Environment Day under the UNESCO Cousteau Eco - technical chair – THE Future University. I was hosted as a public speaker where I gave a speech about waste management in Sudan.

In 2015, I joined the Sudanese Environment Conservation Society (SECS) as a volunteer. SECS is a national NGO, established in 1975, it focuses on achieving environment conservation and sustainable development through the participation of different stakeholders. Currently, I work with a group of youth in a project about the risks and impact of gold mining on the environment in Sudan. In addition, I have been a writer at a Sudanese Newspaper named (AkhbarAlyom) since 2015, I published articles about climate change and environmental issues, which targeting to raise awareness about climate issues especially among youth. Also, I am a volunteer in Climate Tracker organization; an international organization which gives youth the opportunity to influence national policies and international negotiations through journalism. Furthermore, I won a fellowship with the World’s Largest Youth –Led Climate Journalism Organizationin a competition to publish articles about the impact of climate change in Sudan which was translated to English.In addition; I translated handbook beginner guideline and Op-ed about climate change from English to Arabic language. Recently, I have been involved in a Project of Advocacy Head Sudan of the ClimatEducate Global under the Alpha Team Organization (ATO) which is an International multi-interest youth organization based in the Philippines.  ClimatEducate aims to spread climate change education through online advocacy, info-graphics and community immersion, I have been organizing a non-online Initiative (NOI) on the 15^th of November at Khartoum International Preparatory School in Sudan where I gave a presentation about the disaster of climate change.

                               
                                     Article by: Randa Al Turabi
                                     Environmentalist
                                     Sudan

THE IMPACT OF FOSSIL FUELS ON 
DEMOCRACY

The excessive use of fossil fuels is one of the reasons of climate change, a phenomenon that is considered as a serious threat to the existence of many communities all over the world, and the main cause of this climate change phenomenon is the human activity.

North Africa will be devastated by the climate change, millions will die, and many more millions will be forced to migrate. Deserts will continue to expand; fishermen will lose their source of livelihood, and water will be scarcer that ever. It is also expected that the world will witness hotter summers, colder winters, and more intense storms because of climate change. Villages will be evacuated as a result of drought. The rising sea levels combined with the declining food production will destroy fertile lands. Even big cities will be affected by the scarcity of water, and radical changes will take place in the region during the upcoming twenty years.

It is argued that climate change is the rich war against the working class of small farmers and workers who truly take all the burden of climate change devastating consequences on behalf of the privileged.

The flourishing of renewable energy sources is considered a major threat to the giant fossil oil companies. And as a result, those companies are halting the investment in green energy in the midst of worries from catastrophic consequences of the growing use of fossil fuels.

Professor of Sustainable Energy Claudia Kemfert notes that the old companies are trying to influence the public opinion in Germany, and to push the public to accept the idea of “reducing the change of energy sources”  by claiming that “green energy will increase the energy prices”. Professor Kemfert comments on this claim by saying: “but this is not true, these are just myths designed to discredit the transition to green energy sources “.

It’s not only Claudia Kemfert who has doubts in the intention of oil companies, also energy experts in academia, environmental organizations, and politicians who support renewable energy in Germany agree with Professor Kemfert. And they are expressing their "extreme fear and apprehension" of the corporate attempts to influence the political circles to ensure political decisions that are supportive to their interests. Ulrich Kelber from the German Social Democratic Party stated that the companies want to "continue to run their old power generation models”.

Also, the transition to renewable energies has resulted in a significant reduction in the profits of coal and gas companies in other countries in Europe and the world. And the conflict is raging between those companies and the proponents of renewable energy, but the intensity of this conflict is greatest in Germany. The new entrants to the conflict are the automotive and locomotive manufacturers, as the “authorities have suspended coal and gas future plans for an indefinite period in Europe. Furthermore, investing in traditional energy techniques have been suspended as well" as Peter Frank from Prognoz consulting firm states.

Prepared by

Randa Mustafa Ali Abdalrahman

Environmental Science, Institute of Environmental Studies, University of Khartoum

SOIL CONSERVATION

This is a re-known practice in sustainable agriculture which involves the protection of soil from deterioration and other types of erosion so as to maintain soil fertility and productivity. It generally includes watershed management and water use. This practice couples preventing soil loss from erosion, reduced fertility caused by over usage, acidification, salinization and other forms of chemical soil contamination.It therefore calls for collective efforts of groups or individuals to improve the quality of the soil and minimize other negative events

Taking steps to preserve soil is an important part of following an environmentally responsible lifestyle.By reducing your environmental impact; consider counteracting Soil erosion which removes the topsoil that contains precious nutrients, organic matter, and micro-organisms essential to the viability of arable land.

While it may be easy to dismiss the importance of dirt, it's a fact that soil is vital to humankind. Over 99 percent of human foods come from the earth. Soil loss can have catastrophic consequences. A 2006 study in the Journal of the Environment (v.8 (1): pg. 119-137), Development and Sustainability, reported that the United States is losing soil 10 times faster than it can be replaced through natural processes

The loss of soil translates into serious economic losses. The 2006 study further estimated that soil erosion costs the United States over $37 billion each year in productivity losses. Unfortunately, most of the soil ends up in aquatic resources, bringing with it the pesticides and fertilizers used on agricultural lands.

The task in finding ways to conserve soil is generally addressed by both the Agriculture sector and household levels where several methods can be achieved through practices and measures you take on a farm and home levels. This is collectively termed as Agricultural Soil Conservationand community soil conservation respectively

Agriculture soil conservation involves practices like:

no till farming where crops are allowed to remain rather than being plowed under at the end of the season keeps the soils anchored in place rather than having bare ground exposed to wind and water for erosion.

Terracefarmingwhichuses the topography of the land to slow water flow through a series of terraces. This manipulation of the water flow prevents it from gathering speed and washing soil away from farmlands.

Contour farmingreplicates the effects of terrace farming, but on a smaller scale. Rather than planting crops in straight vertical rows, crops are planted following the contour of the landscape. Crops planted up and down hillsides create pathways for water to flow. Crops planted parallel to the land slow the flow of water that prevents soil erosion.

Whereas community soil conservation calls for:

Reduced impervious surfaceslike driveways and patios that allows precipitation to flow freely over them. Water flow gains momentum when moving over such surfaces and can then erode stream banks and lakeshores. A good compromise is to use paving stones rather than a concrete slab for your patio to allow the water to percolate down into the soil.

Planting a rain garden which is a shallow depression in your yard, that collects precipitation washing over impervious surfaces. It prevents soil erosion and gives you an opportunity to grow wetland plants.

Use of rain barrels that can be place underneath a downspout, to collect the water that runs off of your roof. The watercollected can be used for your lawn and garden. In this way, you can conserve water and soil.

Planting windbreaksthat prevent soil erosion by, slowing the force of the wind over open grounds. Planted trees or shrubs can act as your windbreak. In addition to preventing erosion, these plantings will also protect your home from wind damage.

Restoration of wetlands which are one of the most effective ways to prevent soil erosion. Wetlands act as natural sponges, absorbing rainwater and preventing it from carrying the soil away. They also provide a habitat for birds and other wildlife and help prevent water pollution.

Re-establishing forest cover which provides an extensive, tree-root network that offers a long-term solution to soil erosion. It can function both as a windbreak and a means to anchor soils in place.

Any of these ways to conserve soil will help protect this important natural resource and provide a solution for one of the most important environmental issues. Once you begin using soil conservation methods, you'll no longer look at soil as mere dirt.

Prepared by:

Ignatius Ahumuza

Executive director and co-founder Art Planet Academy Organization, founder at The Students’ Recycling Award, Co-Founder at The Uganda Micro Gardens Initiative