West Nile refugees turn to coal fuel to save tree cover
A view of Imvepi Settlement Camp in Terego District that is having a depleted tree cover. PHOTO / FELIX WAROM OKELLO
What you need to know:
- The once bushy and thick Bidibidi forest used to habour the defunct rebels of Uganda National Rescue Front (UNRF-II) is now a shadow of itself as it has been depleted and turned into a refugee settlement area.
A move around the refugee settlement camps across West Nile leaves environmentalists in pain due to trees left in a once thick forested area.
The majority have since been cut down for charcoal, firewood and construction.
The once bushy and thick Bidibidi forest used to habour the defunct rebels of Uganda National Rescue Front (UNRF-II) is now a shadow of itself as it has been depleted and turned into a refugee settlement area.
The main source of cooking for refugees is firewood. This method has greatly contributed to the depletion of the green cover, mainly trees.
Population increase has also exacerbated the problem. For instance, West Nile hosts more than 750,000 refugees in various camps.
The sub-region has a population of about 2 million people.
A sack of charcoal goes for Shs30,000 in the camp.
In a bid to save the trees in a settlement camp, South Sudanese refugees have turned to making briquettes, a type of coal fuel, to replace the use of firewood.
“We have to look for wastes such as dry grass and cassava peels in order to make the briquettes, which we have now been able to make after a short training. I want to become a champion for saving the environment in the camp,” Ms Jesca Gawar, a refugee, said.
Environmental activist in West Nile and Head of Friends of Zoka Forest William Amanzuru said: “Let people love nature because it is from this that we can conserve and preserve it. The best way is for the organisations to encourage growing of indigenous species rather than livelihood trees such as Teak, Pines and Eucalyptus, which are cut down within five to seven years to earn money.”
“This will make conservation difficult because you will need to replace them each time. We should also build civic competence so that people are not detached from conservation efforts,’’ Mr Amanzuru added.
What has remained outstanding are the woodlots of Teak trees that were planted before the repatriation of South Sudan refugees in 2008 and the current efforts by the humanitarian agencies to reclaim the depleted land.
The Office of the Prime Minister refugee desk officer for Arua, Mr Solomon Osakan, said: “We have been planting woodlots and encouraging individual refugees to use briquettes and planting trees. We encourage both refugees and host communities to use other sources of energy instead of use of firewood.”
