Egypt Offers Uganda Environmental Experts

The Egyptian government has offered Uganda a team of experts in modern water harvesting and deforestation in a move aimed at increasing domestic water supply and conservation of environment

Egyptian Ambassador to Uganda, Ahmed Abdelaziz, made the vow Tuesday during the diplomatic meeting with the minister of Environment, Ephraim Kamuntu, at the ministry's headquarters in Luzira, a Kampala suburb.

"We would like to get a technical expertise team to come to Uganda and support you in areas of modern water harvesting and deforestation," said Abdelaziz

Adding "Look into our proposal and see whether you would be interested," he said though he did not say exactly when the experts would be flown into the country.

In response to the ambassador's pledge, Kamuntu said government is willing to receive such support so that can deal with massive deforestation that affects everyone in one way or another and also reduce the burden women and children face standing in long queues for hours at the wells and boreholes to fetch water.

"I have travelled to different European countries but have never seen any European woman or child carrying a jerry can of water on their heads. Your excellence, I do not know whether you also still have people that carry jerry cans on their heads in your country. But when I travel across the country here, I see women and children standing in long queues all day waiting to fetch water," said Kamuntu.

He added "This hurts me and whoever is willing to work with me to provide affordable means of getting water closer to the people; I am willing to jump on it. I appreciate the technical support Egypt has vowed to give Uganda," said Kamuntu.

Kamuntu said that he is very passionate about seeing Ugandan women and children accessing water from their homes through modern water harvesting technology which he says is looking forward to receive from Egypt.

He said if modern technology of harvesting water for domestic use is taught to Ugandans, eleven million Ugandans mostly children and women especially in rural areas would benefit.

Kamuntu says that if modern ways of water harvesting are taught to Ugandans, about eleven (11million) Ugandans especially women and children can benefit.

"I want to see households turn on ups and water flows and until I see this, my job is not yet done," he said.

Degradation of forest cover that has left 92,000 hectares of forest cover destroyed annually in Uganda and encroachment on wetlands are other argent areas Kamuntu asked the Egyptian Government to help Uganda deal with considering the bilateral relationship between the two countries have enjoyed for many generations.

During the meeting, Abdelaziz said among other reasons, he had come to find out if Uganda would be willing to showcase some of its historical objects at the opening of a newly constructed Egyptian Museum in Egypt in the course of this year and make arrangement in regard and also find out how far the issue of borehole construction in Uganda had gone.

Kamuntu said that the request would be handled by ministry of tourism and promised to talk to the minister of tourism to make it a point that Uganda participates when that time comes.

Source: NewVision

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