Museveni hosted the 20th Africa Water Association International Congress and Exhibition and called for holistic protection of the environment
Museveni calls for protection of Africa’s water resource – Water is the most abundant resource on planet earth, making up 71 per cent of the total surface area, however, experts say there’s need to protect the resource from pollution because only 3.5 per cent of its freshwater is useful for domestic use.
During the official opening of the 20th Africa Water Association International Congress and Exhibition at Kampala Serena Hotel yesterday 24th, February 2020, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni who presided over the ceremony expressed concerns over the tough times ahead of Africa’s water resource, if not protected from depletion and pollution.
The Congress ending on the 27th February gathered over 40 African countries to discuss the future of water resources on the continent and finding solutions to the shortfalls.
This is at a time when many people in African still lack access to clean water, hand washing facilities and sanitation, yet it’s one of the world’s sustainable development goal.
In his remarks, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni said that there’s a need to increase the reach of electricity if Africa is to stand a chance of saving its water resources from destruction.
“If we do not deal with the environment by doing two things: the first electrification, the traffics must be electrified. Don’t say you are talking about water without talking about electrification,” Museveni said.
Tweet
President Museveni noted that African countries must work upon the issue of electricity to save the environment because many trees are being cut down to be used as firewoods.
“It’s terrible! How many cubic meters of biomass in Uganda alone? Is being destroyed each year to provide enku, the firewood, it’s terrible. So, with that we must solve that problem of electricity,” Museveni noted.
Tweet
“And here you are spending all the time, almost killing one another over the 85 billion of the Nile. I don’t know, I have not checked the water in the River Niger and the River Zambezi, I have not checked the volume of water, but I know that the river Congo is 3,000 billion cubic
Tweet
Dr Eng. Silver Mugisha, Managing Director NWSC at the same event was given powers to head the Africa Water Association Congress and Exhibition as the president something he attributes to the achievement made by National Water and Sewage Corporation (NWSC).
“This Congress came to Uganda, partly because National Water presents a very good case study, and therefore the African utility saw it that there’s a lot they can share basing on what has happened in National Water and Sewerage Corporation,” Mugisha said.
Tweet
By 2030 the world is expected to have even access to basic sanitation services which at a time needs double efforts.
Experts believe that by the end of the Congress, Africa will have lasting solutions to water issues for the next two years.
