NEMA to send air inspectors to Victoria sugar after public complains of pollution Luwero, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) is set to send a team of inspectors to look into complaints from residents of Yandwe, Ndibulungi, and Kakabala Nnalongo villages in Luwero about growing air and …
Read More »Embracing Indigenous Wisdom to End Plastic Pollution: A bottom-up call to action
COMMENT | REGINA ASINDE | Today, June 5, 2025, the world will come together to mark World Environment Day under the critical theme “End Plastic Pollution.” This year’s call is not just to observe but to act boldly, urgently, and together. The plastic crisis is no longer an invisible threat—it is …
Read More »Boda boda bikes are deadly polluters
Study models how going electric could save lives Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Data collected by Makerere University Kampala scientists from a network of over 45 AirQo monitors in Kampala since 2018 indicates that overall, the city areas particulate matter levels are about five times over World Health Organisation guidelines. …
Read More »NEMA: Fish feeding on plastic waste in polluted Ugandan lakes
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Poor disposal of plastic waste is causing fish to feed on plastic, this is according to a study conducted by the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA). Water bodies of Lake Victoria, Kyoga, Albert and Edward are known as the main source of fish in …
Read More »UN treaty on plastic pollution gains momentum
Ottawa, Canada | THE INDEPENDENT | Negotiators from about 175 countries are meeting in the Canadian Capital Ottawa to forge an international treaty to regulate plastics. The conference in Canada is the fourth in the round of negotiations since the governments backed by scientific evidence agreed to develop an international treaty to …
Read More »A few hours of spiking air pollution ‘raises death risk
The majority of these were in Asia and Africa, and more than a fifth occurred in urban areas Kampala, Uganda | DANN OKOTH | More than a million people die every year due to short-term exposure to high levels of air pollution, researchers say, with Asia accounting for almost two thirds …
Read More »Microplastics found in Nile River’s tilapia fish: new study
This all has serious implications for human health, as people catch and eat the fish Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Nile is one of the world’s most famous rivers. It’s also Africa’s most important freshwater system. About 300 million people live in the 11 countries it flows through. Many …
Read More »From plastic pollution to objects of beauty
Gad Niyomukunzi makes plastics beautiful decorations and cleans up local rivers ARTS | BIRD AGENCY | It was the fishermen who finally pushed Gad Niyomukunzi to act. He had been noticing the build-up of plastic bottles in streams in the city he calls home, for years. But when the fishermen of Lake …
Read More »Experts warn of dangers of Air Pollution Levels to unborn babies
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Experts at Makerere University Lung Institute have warned that exposure to air pollution by pregnant women is catastrophic to their unborn babies. Speaking to URN in an interview just after the institute launched results of a study which found very high levels of air pollution …
Read More »Bunyoro Kingdom tasks oil companies on plastic pollution
Hoima, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom has tasked oil companies operating in the region to put in place policies to ensure the conservation, and protection of the environment especially the fight against plastic pollution. Phillip Katahoire, the Kingdom’s Minister for External Relations says that the disposal, …
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