The most commonly accepted description of sustainability was provided by the World Commission of Environment and Development (WCED) way back in 1987 in the Brundtland Report "Our Common Future". According to this report the goal of sustainability is to "meet the needs of present generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs" by balancing environmental, economic and social (equity) concerns".
NAPE has initiated a new program - Sustaonability School in her work Read the report on situation analysis of the issues pertaining to the intended establishment of Sustainability School in Uganda by NAPE. The report has been developed through a participatory process involving representatives from targeted communities, NAPE Staff and Board.
The long-running saga of the $860m Bujagali Hydropower plant in Uganda rumbles on towards the project's due date in 2011, but disputes are surfacing over the project's environmental and social impacts.
This report was compiled by Alex Halperin, Financial Times
A few kilometers downstream from where Lake Victoria plunges through the Nalubaale Dam into the White Nile, jackfruit trees and coffee bushes grow on the wooded river bank. A slip of land called Dumbbell Island splits the water. On the river banks, cranes and trucks are at work on the Bujagali Hydropower Project, an attempt to relieve Uganda's perpetual electricity shortfall.
After eight (8) good years of political denial that Bujagali project was not a viable project, Uganda Government finally admits the fact that the Bujagali dam project is a very expensive project and would undermine social and economic development in Uganda if it goes ahead.
The cost of Bujagali Dam Project rises to $900 million
Uganda's hydropower unit has been delayed due to new discovery during construction. I has been found that the rock in part of the site was softer than previously anticipated. This phenomenon implies that there is need to revise the design. The revised design will raise the cost of Bujagali project to $900 million.
Energy Minister, Hon. Hilary Onek recently warned NGOs against talking about the on-going oil exploration in different parts of the country.
Hon. Hilary Onek, Minister of Energy & Mineral Development
In his own words (New Vision, 20th July, 2009) the Minister said;
"I would wish to advise the NGO officials who are masquerading around that they know a lot about oil and are calling for transparency to go and do something else like looking after orphans,"
NAPE advised the Government of Uganda to make the oil revenue sharing agreements public.
Following the discovery of Oil in 12 locations in the Albertine graben of Western Uganda, NAPE and African Institute for Energy Governance (AFIEGO) as lead Organizations formed a Net work for promoting good governance of the Oil resource in Uganda.
NAPE is promoting water governance drive in Uganda.
Water crisis is predominantly an issue of water governance. There are a number of policy frameworks that are redirected towards provision of safe and clean water for domestic use and production. However every thing appears to be shelved. There is no clear implementation strategy serving this purpose. The idea of effective water governance is critical for sustainable development. NAPE intends to bring together as many stakeholders as possible to reflect on and plan action strategies on water governance systems and where possible improve them.
NAPE recently supported a water stressed community in Luwere to construct a water tank below. We believe that rain water hervesting can go long way to improve the livelihoods of the common people.
NAPE expects that effective water governance will help to avoid the frequent mismatch between policies and priorities and peoples concerns and aspirations
Ugandans have been made to believe that Uganda's modestoil resources,once exploited, will greatly benefit our economy, development and people. Lots of money was spent traininghuman resources in preparation fora whirlwindexploitation of oil, which was believed especially by our President, would go a long way to contribute to the solution ofour chronic fuel crisis.We are talking about some 4,000 barrel of oil per day.
The ten million dollar question is, will oil really oil our economy, development and people out of poverty?
The power generation company, Eskom, has announced that the country might experience more load-shedding due to the dropping water levels in Lake Victoria.
During the just concluded 5th World Water Forum (WWF) 16th March - 21st March 2009, in Istanbul, two dam activists were arrested and deported from the Forum by Turkish authorities for unfolding a banner that read NO RISKY DAMS!
National Association of Professional Environmentalists (NAPE) and Africa Institute for Energy Governance (AFIEGO) together with other civil society organizations and individuals whose signatures appear below have reviewed the Addendum Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) of Tullow Oil Uganda Operations PTY Limited for the proposed Early Production System (EPS), Kaiso-Tonya Area, Block 2, Lake Albert, Hoima District.
UGANDA has disputed a report pinning it on the mismanagement of the Lake Victoria water. The accusation has raised a pertinent question as to who is responsible for the dropping level in Africa's largest fresh water lake.
This article first feature in The Danish Development Today Magazine - 5th December 2008.
By Lori Pottinger
International Rivers Beckley Way, California USA.
The World Bank is betting the Nile that it can reduce poverty with a "trickle-down" development project in Uganda. But the large dam it is funding is a terribly flawed vessel for poverty reduction, according to a new study by the Bank's Inspection Panel.
The independent investigation body studied the Bujagali Dam for 17 months before concluding that it fails to fulfill the "broad objective of sustainable development and poverty reduction embodied in Bank policy".
THE construction of the $860m 250MW Bujagali hydro-power plant in Jinja will go ahead despite fresh efforts to discredit the project, senior officials have vowed.
The project is expected to be commissioned in 2011 but the National Association of Professional Environmentalists have again written to the World Bank to halt the project, alleging that the bank compromised its policies on potential environmental, economic and social impacts.
On 5th December, 2008, NAPE organized a political café to discuss environmental abuse in Uganda at Hotel Equatoria in Kampala. The Theme of the debate was "Environmental Governance and Justice in Uganda: Is it a lack of Institutional Capacity or Political will?
Following the release of the report of the Inspection Panel of World Bank on 29th August to Bank Management, the Management was expected to discuss with the requestors the concerns the requestors have on the Bujagali project prior to management making response on the Inspection Panel findings within a period of six weeks.
NAPE is still battling with government in court over a demonstration to save Mabira Forest from destruction. Government wants to give away Mabira forest to SOUL Sugar Company to expand their plantations.
Hon. Hilary Onek, Minister of Energy & Mineral Development
