Image courtesy of globalvoices.org
Some of the fundraising for Empower Through Health goes towards promoting environmental health in Uganda. In fact, the University of Chicago chapter of ETH mobilizes specifically around this issue, but why is environmental health so critical in Uganda?
To go more in depth about some of the environmental health issues in Uganda and the importance of alleviating them, members of the ETH-Youth chapter have each written about one of the many environmental issues a donation can help to relieve.
The Pollution Issue by Alex Brinkman
Pollution in Uganda can be linked to three main sources: unsustainable growth in the industrial sector, economic development, and agriculture. Growth in the industrial sector has been largely unregulated and infrastructure has not increased at the same rate. For example, water treatment and sewage are not fully functional in places where industry is developing and where large populations of Ugandans live. Any policies or regulations in place are poorly monitored and enforced. In addition, the loss of wetlands to economic development can also be seen as a reason for the increase in water pollution. Flooding in these areas can lead to water mixing with latrines causing cholera, dysentery, and diarrhea. Air pollution is also an increasing problem in Uganda. Many people are farmers and forests can be necessary to their survival. Trees provide fuel for everyday tasks and fields created by this deforestation can be used for increased farming. As of 2016, 28 districts have lost their entire forest ecosystems while 19 have a forest that covers only 1% of their district. Although agriculture is a main reason for pollution, this is in no way to blame the people of Uganda for this increase. Just as anyone would, they are looking for a way to escape the extreme poverty in their country, which some studies estimate is over 50% of the population.
Water Sanitation by Vasilije Djuranovic
Uganda along with the rest of Eastern and Southern African region (ESAR) currently face an epidemic with water sanitation and clean water supply. Efforts have been made in the past, as the UNPAC (Uganda National Plan of Action for Children) set goals in 1992 to eradicate the lack of clean water. Such as their first goal being to claim at least 75% of the population has access to safe drinking water. However, currently only 32% of Ugandans have access to basic water supply. Furthermore, only 19% have access to basic sanitation. Which doesn’t pair well with the fact that 7 million practice open defecation within the nation alone. This provides avenues for diseases such as cholera, schistosomiasis, and dysentery. This may be unheard of in first world countries; however, back in 2016 it was stated that in Uganda alone, that 23,000 people die of diarrhoeal diseases annually. Additionally an estimated 250,000 children one to five years old die from the same issue yearly. This can be attributed all to lack of sewage plants and the use of contaminated surface water. Human contact with surface water is discouraged, especially somewhere like Uganda where many openly defecate. On top of that just under half of the population in 2020 don’t have access to a handwashing facility with soap or water. All of this highlights the major impact of access to sanitary water and facilities for defecation or handwashing.
Pollution’s Effects by Max Marcus
Due to the exposure to excessive pollutants, people in Uganda face life long issues with their respiratory systems and general health. Acute lower respiratory infections, responsible for two million deaths every year, are the leading cause of death for young children under five. These infections have been linked to indoor air pollution from dirty fuel sources, such as wood, for cooking and heating. Other infections, otitis media for example, are not necessarily deadly, however they result in longer issues, like deafness, and general strain on the immune system. Asthma is also particularly common. Many adults in rural Uganda have a dramatically increased risk of developing lung cancer. Additionally, issues with the cardiovascular system, i.e. heart attack, heart failure, and cardiovascular diseases, have significant correlation with exposure to air pollution. Malaria and other prevalent diseases in Uganda are projected to increase because of more favorable heat conditions caused by climate change, and heat related deaths are expected to rise from 2 to 81 deaths per 100,000 annually by 2080 if change is not enacted.
The Burning of Trash by Amy Kaiser
There is a lack of resources to properly dispose of trash, especially in Uganda. Due to the lack of disposal options, many Ugandans burn the waste. Whether burned in their back yard or a community pit, burning plastic has detrimental effects on not only the environment but the people as well. It exposes people to high levels of carcinogens, greenhouse gases, mercury, and other toxic substances, yet it is the most common way to dispose of waste that is not collected by waste management. Just in Kampala, Uganda 180 tons of waste per day is created and only 40-50% of that is collected. In Gulu, only 20% of the trash is properly collected. Of the remaining trash, 74.1% is burned. When burned, trash also releases high amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. It has been shown to increase blood pressure and other minor problems as well as cause cardiorespiratory failure. This increase of carbon dioxide drastically harms the environment in not only Uganda but the entire world; high levels of carbon dioxide contribute to climate change. In more developed countries, there is equipment and chemicals to lower the CO2 output but in Uganda, that equipment is not available. The lack of resources in Uganda for trash management causes many Ugandans to burn their trash, further harming them and their environment.