Wednesday, 18 July 2012

The Rwenzori Region receives funding from the World Wide Fund (WWF)

By: Kasese Online news team
World Wide Fund for nature (WWF) a non-governmental organization has today donated seven motorcycles to the districts of Kasese, Ntoroko and Bundibugyo to strengthen the management of water in the Semuliki Catchment area. Each the three districts also received a laptop computer and a digital camera as part of the equipment procured for the supervision work and storing data concerning the conservation of water resources. Kasese and Bundibugyo districts received two motorcycles each where as Ntoroko received three because of the poor transport network in the area. The project Manager of the Semuliki River Catchment and Management Program Mr. Ivan Ebong said the motorcycles, laptop computers and cameras are worth eighty million shillings as funded by the Norwegian Development Corporation. Ebong said the districts’ environment offices will use the motorcycles to supervise and strengthen the work of the twenty six grass root water user committees that have been formed in the region under the influence of WWF. The three districts also signed a memorandum of understanding with WWF regarding the usage of the assets to conserve the water sources. Assistant Chief Administrative Officer Wilson Asaba signed on behalf of Kasese district where as Thomas Otim signed on behalf of WWF. The representative of the Country Manager WWF Thomas Otim urged the befitting districts to use the equipment for the purpose because the level of pollution in the Mubuku-Nyamwamba and Lamya-Semuliki sub-catchment areas is high. Otim said that the human activities like cultivation on the river banks for survival has endangered ecosystem. The Vice Chairman LC 5 Kasese Tadeo Muhindo Matwetse commended WWF for the environmental conservation intervention in the region, promising that the motorcycles will cause a good impact. Matwetse urged all the stakeholders to come out and save rivers like Mubuku, Nyamwamba and Semuliki because they may soon dry up due to human activities.