The unpredictability of weather foil the “Pakwach go-green” campaign

BY Geofrey Achora Jr.

PAKWACH. National Water and Sewage co-operation (NWSC) attached to the Pakwach catchment area is restless with the unexpected and inexplicable change in weather patterns that has trail feedback efforts of schools and other institutions to stumble on the damaging impact of temperature in Pakwach district. #climate #environment

The pursuit of cooperation amplifies the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) also focused on regulation of noise pollution, curbing wetland degradation and other illegal activities that affect the environment.

The officials raised the concern while distributing hundreds of seedlings to club school water and sanitation (SWAS) entrusted with the influence to hold a torch for the struggle of planting trees to battle the inauspicious impact of climate and global warming.

Pakwach district situated along the basin of Albert Nile its wetlands undergo rapid degradation ensue into severe environmental impacts such as flashflood that has sprung into devastating impact.

As part of its program fulfilment, National Water and Sewage Cooperation formed water and sanitation clubs at every school in Jonam in Pakwach district in 2011 to coordinate and sustain the go green campaign but the performance is in jeopardy due to harsh weather.

The harsh weather mainly characterized by drought, and strong winds has derailed the swift progress of planting trees in Pakwach. The trees are set to be planted along the Pakwach-Nebbi road starting from the entrance of the Pakwach main bridge. Also at the catchment belt long Pakwach-Wadelai road.

School Water and sanitation further decentralize planting seedlings like lemon, guava, Neem, tick, mangos, oranges and brother’s heart to institutions like schools, mosques, churches and other government partials

A total of 36,000 tree seedlings were distributed through the go-green campaign to the school clubs in Pakwach in the National distribution with an estimated ten million trees set to be planted in Uganda.

Mr. Warom Hillary the commercial officer of National Water and sewage cooperation Pakwach is concerned about the discouragement toward thousands of tree species seedlings distributed that have wintered due to persistent drought. He added that the change in the weather pattern is thwarting the efforts of youths to receive adequate farming tools and training in running tree nurseries that would give them an opportunity to plant trees in a large extent deforested area of the district.

The Cooperation in September 2021 bolster the Pakwach district go campaign of planting trees along the roadside for beautification and turn aside the harmful impacts of deforestation put money into and handed out   2,000 seedlings species of Neem, 1000 brother heart, 1000 mangoes, lemon and guavas to abundant school water and sanitation clubs to sharpen the campaign.

Pakwach district has an approximation of 150 School Water and Sanitation Clubs both in schools and other institutions like hospitals, and churches that rabble crowds.

The clubs registered an extreme decline in the favourable outcome attributing it mainly to peculiarity and change in the weather pattern and uncontrolled termites that have pulled down acres of plantation.

At Excel College Pakwach at the onset planted over 1000 trees of both mango and tick along the Pakwach-Wadelai road, Henry Oyirwoth the water and Sanitation team leader is disappointed with the drastic wintering of the seedlings barely two months of planting accrediting it to insufficient preparations in amassing designated land towards the course.

“We embarked on patrolling the areas where the trees were planted but were disappointed that you can hardly identify any tree because the land is bare .more stringent operations and community sensitization is relevant for in some instances we found Murram dumped the exercise to restore and green Pakwach was misinterpreted by most of the community members maintaining that it was politically motivated” Oyirwoth explained

He added: “Some members of our group abandoned us letting the monitoring exercise hard my passionate appeal to power be that some facilitations be accorded to the various school clubs to motivate them. Lastly, the weather has become unpredictable my advice is the seedlings be distributed in consultation with the locals to avoid further embarrassment”.

Mr Okumu George head teacher of Owiny primary school says, he is privileged to receive the fruits and that it will schools to improve their environment he says it is a good example of national water and corporate responsibility that they are giving to the community of Pakwach.

He’s appealing for the sustainability of the program through a routine supply of water cans and pesticides to eradicate termites

Other interventions

African Water Solution (AWS) pledge a similar initiative in the Alwi sub-county with the ultimate plan of increasing water coverage and increase in forest cover through encouraging the planting of trees and outrange capacity building both to the area leaders and the community to ably sustain the afforestation.

The organization has sensitized the community to embrace such interventions by reporting illegal loggers in the area. The area used covered with a canopy of trees has lost its nature mainly to the burning of charcoal.

Lion club international in Pakwach district as part of its social cooperate responsibility has planted trees and rattle shades along the highways of Pakwach town council but all the trees have dried.

They planted 500 tree species that they insisted were drought resistant unfortunately all scampered and wintered in the scotch weather pattern.

Ministry of Water and Environment through the Northern water facility also contributed towards the plantation of 6000 trees in the Panyango sub-county.

As part of a greater effort to protect Patwe wetland in Pakwach town council, the local government intends to demarcate an estimated 8 square kilometres for piloting through community embracement but the district officials are in collaboration with Green Climatic Fund (GCF) Project to implement the plan. They argue that the wetland will act as a demonstration of the conservation of the wetland Pakwach. They want the community to spearhead the initiative by protecting it after undertaking thorough capacity building and provision of all logistical supports.

According to Jennifer Oweka the Pakwach district Natural resource and environment officer, the plan to respond to the disadvantageous diversification has been hampered by budget constraints but expressed commitment towards saving the wetland considering the predominant reliance on the wetland for growing vegetables and pasture grazing and feeding of animals by the host community.

She explained that routine community policing is viable in ecological restoration maintaining that several enforcement operations to sustain pressures in the fight against environmental degradation with a focus on curbing charcoal burning is in the offing.

“The process of restoring various wetlands in Pakwach district is among our priorities considering the spontaneous depletion of most the nature through our robust plans are mainly hampered by unfavourable weather conditions. We appreciate the various interventions by different agencies besides the weather aspect the other emerging challenge in forest restoration is the appetite to burn charcoals it’s the battle we need to address before intensifying other means like pesticide controls” Oweka stressed

She contends that in order to provide successful intervention, it’s necessary to understand the functions of that behaviour of the community and be encouraged to embrace for their own interest.

Pakwach district with security agencies is in advanced discussion to enforce arrest on the defaulters but the decision is already from a section of the community who are agitating for.