Introduce the use of solar systems in the refugee camps to curb environmental degradation
By Kato Paul
Last week, the media reported residents calling for the revival of forests in Bidibidi refugee camp in Yumbe district. This is because the refugees and the host communities have been cutting down the trees for daily needs such as cooking, construction, opening land for agriculture and others.
It is noted that the activities done using the trees have contributed to the loss of over 98% of the forest cover in the district especially on the destruction of the indigenous trees like Afrikana, Mahogany, Afuzilia and others.
The massive degradation of the vegetation cover has contributed to the outbreak of prolonged drought, change of the seasons and drastic climate change among others.
The massive degradation of the vegetation cover in Yumbe district instigated the local leadership to think of a bylaw to be developed so that the homesteads can plant trees to save the environment. This was a very good idea because it is aiming at protecting critical ecosystems in the area.
The leadership of Yumbe district should know that the introduction of the bylaw may not help much to comb the massive degradation in the Refugee camp and the host communities.
They need also to put some other alternatives that can be used by the people alongside the bylaw to save the environment.
The leadership and the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) should ensure that alternatives are put in place to help the residents improve their livelihoods of the people and protect the forest cover.
For instance, clean energy-saving stoves, smart agriculture activities, use of charcoal briskets and solar cookers which produce no greenhouse gas emissions and the use of Solar cooking is a proven thermal process that uses appropriate technology to convert incoming sunlight directly to heat without using complex or costly equipment or electronics.
Additionally, Solar thermal cookers are off-grid, and a solution that can be implemented relatively quickly with no large-scale infrastructure required, is a cross-cutting solution that has a positive impact on all 17 SDGs of the United Nations Agenda 2030 and Solar thermal ovens provide households access to clean and sustainable cooking energy, particularly households that have challenges of accessing energy for cooking and for making water safe to drink.
The use of solar systems and other alternatives need to be introduced in Bidibidi refugee camps and other refugee camps across the country and Africa to save the environment from massive degradation of critical biodiversity.
This practice of the use of solar cookers has been seen in some Refugee camps in East Africa, particularly Kakuma Refugee camp in Kenya, Kiryandongo and Bidibidi camps on a small scale meaning that the same advocacy can be used to ensure that all the camps in Uganda and Africa at large have got the good, big and standardized solar cooker that can help to comb the massive deforestation of the sensitive eco-system.
Therefore, I call on all interested non-governmental organizations (NGOs), banks, faith-based organization and UNHCR to introduce the use of solar cookers in all Refugee camps and the host communities in Uganda and Africa at larger in order to improve the livelihoods of the people, increase the jobs and increase the conservation efforts of the environment
Kato Paul is a Research Associate and Environmental activist.
Email: katop.adyeeri@gmail.com
