Wildlife Authority offers charcoal briquettes as an alternative to forest depletion

By Geofrey Achora Jr

A group of 30 associates has received a pair of charcoal briquettes worth 25 Million Ugandan Shillings from the Uganda Wild Life Authority attached to Parra Murchison fall in a bid to tame the community neighboring the park from exhausting and extinction of various tree species #WhisperEyeNews

 The Machines are meant to produce briquettes out of charcoal dust and other waste materials, mingle them with cassava porridge, to roll them into golf-ball-sized, hard, black briquettes.

This measure is viewed by the charcoal users in Pakwach as a relief not only to saving the forest cover and Environment but also curbing high costs of wood fuel

During the demonstration and exhibition of some made charcoal briquettes   by a group of Pakwach Art and Craft Association (PACA), Wang Lei A Village, Puvungu East Parish, Pakwach town Council on Friday, they promised to inculcate innovation to the rural community in order to achieve the intended purposes

“On behalf of the group we commit to ensure that the rampant illegal entry into the park to collect firewood and its destruction in this district would be history. We shall ensure that enough briquette is produced by almost everyone up to grassroots” Evelyne Ngamita the group leader asserts

Emmanuel Okellogen the Murchison Fall National Game Park Community Liaison Officer for Pakwach and Nwoya district explained that UWA procured these machines to reduce the level of fetching firewood in the Park and also a sign of socio cooperate responsibility

He urged the groups to maintain the machines as the Authority seeks to procure more in the future as demands increase

“ our role is to jointly conserve and work in harmony with you, these machines are before you today the money used for their procure is yours, let’s avoid entering the park without authority to cut trees for you may encounter dangerous animals like snakes, lions among others and above let’s use the machines well” Okello added.

This intervention by the Uganda Wildlife Authority comes moments after the president pledged to sign the executive order after meeting with a section of leaders in the Acholi sub-region who raised concerns about the rising charcoal trade in Northern Uganda.

Photo caption1: Section of the associates in Pakwach after receiving the briquette machines on Friday at Pakwach town council.