EXPERTS WARN AGAINST BUSH BURNING AS IT DESTROYS THE ENVIRONMENT
Bush Fire. Courtesy image.
By Sunday Amandi
Arua city
Residents in the West Nile region have been warned against bush burning, and those who are involved in farming are encouraged to use this period for harvesting and land opening for the next planting season, as the dry season is already on, according to the environment experts.
According to David Edaku, who is a climate smart agriculture expert and a climate scientist, this period is not suitable for farmers to plant filed crops.
“The dry season is actually at its onset though we might receive some rain, it may not be so much, and in some places, these will be isolated cases, so people should be going ahead weeding their field crops, they should be opening land ready for next years filed operations, there should be mulching done, those who venture in to vegetable production, those who have planted, let them go ahead monitoring their crops, and also do some level of irrigation,” David said.
However, it’s a common annual practice by hunters and farmers in the region to set bushes on fire and burning vast lands whenever the dry season sets in.
The districts of Yumbe, Moyo, Adjumani, Pakwach, Zombo, Terego, Madi Okollo, and Arua are the most affected by wild bush fires.
But John Enganvile, the environment officer for Terego district calls on the people to desist from this act as it leaves a long lasting negative impacts on the environment,
“This is now coming to dry season, and it has been a tendency for the community to burn the bushes, creating pasture for their animals, do hunting, bush burning is a very bad practice, especially when it’s done without control, it has very serious impacts on the biodiversity, in the water systems, and also on emissions, as much as possible, they should desist from bush burning,” Engamvile said.
Bush burning destroys soil organisms, soil texture and soil fertility, and it also plays a negative role that greatly contributes to climate change and its effects,
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