Environmentalists blame the government for the collapse of Katonga Bridge.

The National Association of Professional Environmentalists (NAPE) has blamed the Government for being responsible for the collapse of the Katonga Bridge and damaging the road because of licensing people to mine sand and cultivate in Lwera Wetland. 

Addressing the media ahead of the world environment day due 5th June at their offices in Zaana a suburb of Kampala, the executive director National Association of professional environmentalists Frank Mulamuzi said Government licensed people to grow Rice from Lwera up to Lake Victoria, and when it rains the land in the wetlands weakens and disappears because they are natural filters. 

 He said that although they have warned the National Environmental management authority (NEMA) several times not to allow people to carry out activities degrading the wetlands they have ignored the advice. 

"A Wetland is a fragile area so when you mine sand,  cultivate rice in the vast land, you allow it to weaken, then water logging up to Lake Victoria, and then roads are destroyed, So it's them to blame ''Mulamuzi said. He added that he cannot go to the celebrations of world environment day because there is no reason to celebrate when Government is the one protecting people who are destroying the environment. 

Mulamuzi said they have gone to court several times over the growing of flowers in Lake Victoria, the destruction of Bugoma forest, and mining Cement in Queen Elizabeth National Park but NEMA has come up to defend the actions in the name of development. 

The program officer of Forest and Diversity National Association of professional environmentalists David Kareeba said if it wasn't for the Government and environment Police supporting and protecting the interests of the investors the wetlands wouldn't have been destroyed.

``If you look at our investment strategy here, development takes precedence over the environment, Look at Kalangala forests which were destroyed, who destroyed them its BIDCO but who issued the license its Government through NEMA,’’ Kareeba said.

Kareeba said that there are people close to executive powers, who come take the wetlands, they are protected by environment police there isn’t much that you can do.

``The biggest challenge is that we don’t have independent bodies that do checks, I can’t pay you to do an environment and social impact assessment for my project to go through and you give me a permit that will not make my project not too adverse,’’ Kareeba noted.

The legal and Gender officer at the National Association of professional environmentalists Joan Akiiza said although the association has tried to challenge a number of activities leading to environmental degradation in courts of law, they have not been able to win any case because NEMA  always comes out to defend every action through the impact environment assessment they have issued.

She says that unless there is a will for enforcers and courts of law to administer justice to save the environment even the establishment of the environmental court will not do much.

Derick Itoti from Fridays for Future Uganda called for the banning of the manufacturing of plastic bottles and single-use polythene bags because as they pick plastic wastes from the Lake shores, they have realized that a number of fish species are dying in Lake Victoria due to toxins from these plastics.

He said that as people who work to protect the environment, several times they have asked the Government to ban the manufacture of plastics and use of Kaveera but the government has frustrated them by issuing permits to manufacturers and importers of these plastics.

Plastic pollution can alter habitats and natural processes, reducing ecosystems, and the ability to adapt to climate change among others.

Now professional environmentalists demand that Government invest the money meant for the celebrations of world environment day into efforts of averting the environmental crisis that Uganda is engulfed in currently that is beyond just plastics.

They want the money to be put in damaged bridges, roads, mudslides in Eastern Uganda, and drainages channels in Kampala blocked by plastics among others.

They have also commended President Yoweri Museveni for the executive order, he issued on charcoal burning in North and North Eastern Uganda but asked him to make the order for the entire country in order to save the environment