In the wake of devastating floods that wreaked havoc along the Lake Victoria Basin, claiming seven lives and leaving several others injured, Uganda’s Deputy Speaker, Thomas Tayebwa, has issued a heartfelt and urgent plea for sustainable environmental practices.
Addressing Parliament at the start of the day’s plenary session, Tayebwa painted a grim but necessary picture of nature’s indiscriminate wrath.
“Yesterday morning, various parts of the Lake Victoria Basin received heavy rains which caused flooding in some places and subsequently hindered mobility. We even lost lives. I was checking in the media that we lost 5-7 people and more were injured. It was very unfortunate, what happened yesterday,” Tayebwa lamented.
The floods which have left a trail of destruction and mourning serve as a stark reminder of the catastrophic consequences of environmental abuse.
Tayebwa emphasized that natural disasters do not discriminate. “At the end of the day, natural disasters don’t discriminate because whether you are looking after nature or not, they will come for you,” he warned.
This heartfelt appeal comes at a time when Uganda is grappling with the dire effects of climate change.
The recent approval of a Shs3.267Bn Supplementary Budget to support the Internal Security Organisation (ISO) in combating wetland abuse highlights Parliament’s commitment to addressing the root causes of such environmental calamities.
Tayebwa’s message was clear, protecting the environment is not just the government’s responsibility but a collective effort.
“Such climate-induced occurrences are a reminder of the need for responsible and sustainable environment and natural resource use for each and every one of us,” he noted.
With Uganda’s wetlands shrinking at an alarming rate and the effects of climate change becoming more pronounced, Tayebwa’s call for action could not be more timely. It is a sobering reminder that when nature fights back, it spares no one.
