For a long time, environmentalists have been accused by development enthusiasts of being anti-development. It is hard to escape the tension between developers and environmental preservation advocates.

For a long time, environmentalists have been accused by development enthusiasts of being anti-development. It is hard to escape the tension between developers and environmental preservation advocates.

The intervention of the World Bank and the National Environment Authority (Nema) in the garbage disposal project that will see the biodegradable waste from Mbarara Municipality and nine other urban centres collected could mean the end of foul smell produced by rotting garbage, and usher in improved hygiene and sanitation.

Parliament in 2006 passed a resolution that polythene bags (kaveera) be banned. However, it was realised later that many businessmen had a lot of them in stock. It was therefore agreed that they give them a grace period of six months to exhaust their stock. It is now two years since the ban and polythene bags are still used in Uganda as packing material.

OVER the years, shanties have sprung up in Kampala providing accommodation to more than 60% of the city’s population. However, government planning and funding has denied them public utilities like water since they are regarded as illegal settlements.