Fort Portal residents have been urged to desist from littering to safeguard the town’s image as Uganda’s Tourism City. Home to several tourism sites, Fort Portal is one of the 7 municipalities recently upgraded to cities.

Speaking during cleanup day commemoration in Fort Portal town today, Enabel Resident Representative Christelle Jocquet said the district is the face of Uganda so should continue to look as such.

“Littering is a major public health and environmental threat the world is battling today,” Jocquet said. “Rubbish and pollution is a growing problem in most cities, towns and communities.”

Jocquet said improper waste disposal especially during this rain season could result in deadly illnesses such as Cholera. Uganda, she says can’t let this happen during these already dire times of the coronavirus disease.

While government may have laws in place, Jocquet says everyone should make it a personal responsibility to keep the environment litter free.

“Everyone desires to live in a clean environment since inaction affects you as an individuals as well as the larger community. It should therefore be the responsibility of each one to ensure he or she dumps waste in places designated for the purpose and this should be taught right from home,” she says.

She commended the ban of the use of polythene bags commonly known as “kaveeras” saying it was a good step towards conserving the environment for future generations.

“While the decision should be commended, there is a laxity in implementation since we still find kaveeras littered implying they are in use.” Jocquet said. 

World Cleanup Day is a global social civic action day commemorated yearly to discourage improper solid waste disposal. 80% of waste floating on water bodies is said to be mismanaged waste, posing a serious danger to human and aquatic life.