First Blog Post
- Details
- Category: Park Blog
- Published on Saturday, 01 January 2011 00:00
- Written by Super User
- Hits: 1286
Kaveera Ban: We need more drums and sirens than just voices
By Joshua Turyatemba
On previous occasions, the good intentions of the National Environmental Management Authority to ensure an end to the manufacture, importation and usage of Kaveera (polythene bags), specifically those less than 20 microns has been outwitted by an uncanny public.
When the legislation to ban the environmental and agricultural nuisance that the culprit has become first made headlines a few years ago, many pundits were soon at play ably pointing out the other failures that Nema had supervised and which they felt were more urgent. The incessant abuse of wetlands, by especially the political heavy weights topped the agenda.
This is not to say that that has gone away, but rather that it is perhaps better to try out for success no matter how unremarkable, than be cowed at rehearsal.
The dangers that the Kaveera causes will not be immediately visible to the eye when one say, takes a tour of the lush green countryside of beautiful Uganda. Then you don’t see a land whistling polythene in the air. In any direction you take, the further you travel from urban and populated centers, the better it gets.
But as agriculture gets closer to developed areas, how long can this last? In the era of urban farming where people are establishing farming units far closer to the city or towns, it is a matter of time before tons of non bio-degradable polythene papers that were long buried start coming to the surface.
It is no doubt that Nema has a challenge indeed. A day after announcing the enforcement, a letter bearing the signature of the Prime Minister surfaced requesting for more time by members of the Uganda Manufacturing Association to see how they can assimilate or transfer to manufacturing of bio-degradable carriers.
However, at the first attempt a few years ago when Nema moved to ban them, it is these same manufacturers that said they were ready and willing to stop the production, but the problem was that those polythene bags coming from Kenya and purportedly heading to DRC were vanishing in the industrial area based warehouses.
In order for them to not keep losing their market share while getting the blame as well, it was suggested to parliament and government that Uganda Revenue Authority takes a more pro-active and strict stance on the issue of importation.
There is already reportedly a problem of manpower as well as shortage of equipment (calipers), to successfully undertake the elimination. This was an admission of the Nema executive director while appearing on a local radio talk show sometime back.
Without a doubt, these are issues that will always bog down a well intentioned but lazy man. The weather could always be too cold, too warm or too comfortable for going to the garden to dig. What Nema has is what Nema must use despite the odds.
What must be emphasized is the use of the media to sound war drums and increase the pitch of the warning sirens. The noise regarding the campaingn to root out use of Kaveera must be unceasing, unrelenting and hard to turn off or turn away from. And in this, the authority must be ready and willing to constantly blow the trumpet of its successes, whether at a ware house haul or a small Duka. Go after the big man carrying his bread in a Kaveera, but also the small man carrying his bananas in a Kaveera
The writer is Head of Programs at Agency for People Owned Processes -Uganda
Second Blog Post
- Details
- Category: Park Blog
- Published on Saturday, 01 January 2011 00:00
- Written by Super User
- Hits: 1296
Kaveera Ban: We need more drums and sirens than just voices
By Joshua Turyatemba
On previous occasions, the good intentions of the National Environmental Management Authority to ensure an end to the manufacture, importation and usage of Kaveera (polythene bags), specifically those less than 20 microns has been outwitted by an uncanny public.
When the legislation to ban the environmental and agricultural nuisance that the culprit has become first made headlines a few years ago, many pundits were soon at play ably pointing out the other failures that Nema had supervised and which they felt were more urgent. The incessant abuse of wetlands, by especially the political heavy weights topped the agenda.
This is not to say that that has gone away, but rather that it is perhaps better to try out for success no matter how unremarkable, than be cowed at rehearsal.
The dangers that the Kaveera causes will not be immediately visible to the eye when one say, takes a tour of the lush green countryside of beautiful Uganda. Then you don’t see a land whistling polythene in the air. In any direction you take, the further you travel from urban and populated centers, the better it gets.
But as agriculture gets closer to developed areas, how long can this last? In the era of urban farming where people are establishing farming units far closer to the city or towns, it is a matter of time before tons of non bio-degradable polythene papers that were long buried start coming to the surface.
It is no doubt that Nema has a challenge indeed. A day after announcing the enforcement, a letter bearing the signature of the Prime Minister surfaced requesting for more time by members of the Uganda Manufacturing Association to see how they can assimilate or transfer to manufacturing of bio-degradable carriers.
However, at the first attempt a few years ago when Nema moved to ban them, it is these same manufacturers that said they were ready and willing to stop the production, but the problem was that those polythene bags coming from Kenya and purportedly heading to DRC were vanishing in the industrial area based warehouses.
In order for them to not keep losing their market share while getting the blame as well, it was suggested to parliament and government that Uganda Revenue Authority takes a more pro-active and strict stance on the issue of importation.
There is already reportedly a problem of manpower as well as shortage of equipment (calipers), to successfully undertake the elimination. This was an admission of the Nema executive director while appearing on a local radio talk show sometime back.
Without a doubt, these are issues that will always bog down a well intentioned but lazy man. The weather could always be too cold, too warm or too comfortable for going to the garden to dig. What Nema has is what Nema must use despite the odds.
What must be emphasized is the use of the media to sound war drums and increase the pitch of the warning sirens. The noise regarding the campaingn to root out use of Kaveera must be unceasing, unrelenting and hard to turn off or turn away from. And in this, the authority must be ready and willing to constantly blow the trumpet of its successes, whether at a ware house haul or a small Duka. Go after the big man carrying his bread in a Kaveera, but also the small man carrying his bananas in a Kaveera
The writer is Head of Programs at Agency for People Owned Processes -Uganda