WITH residents in Mwanza and Kagera regions chafing under the water hyacinth encumbrance, the government says removing the hyacinth will be carried out by government institutions, involving the defense and security forces collaborating with residents.

Cyprian Luhemeja, the Vice President's Office (VPO) permanent secretary, said on Monday that the government is taking swift measures to address the water hyacinth problem, disrupting ferry services connecting Busisi and other areas, while impairing biodiversity along the lake shoreline.

Launching an environmental clean-up campaign around the shoreline, he initiated action to address environmental challenges caused by water hyacinth, directing municipal directors in all surrounding areas to oversee clean-up efforts to stop the spread of the hyacinth, damaging the lake ecosystem.

He was on a visit to Kigongo in Misungwi District, Mwanza Region, an area heavily affected by invasive water weed, accompanied by officials from the Regional Administration and Local Governments wing of the President's Office (PO-RALG), the Water ministry and regional administrative secretaries of both regions.

Affirming that waste management presents business opportunities, including energy production, while plastic waste can be recycled to manufacture various products, he asserted that waste, alongside forestry, form part of the government’s carbon trading strategy, “with ongoing efforts to encourage public participation in these initiatives.”

Prof. Riziki Shemdoe, the Livestock and Fisheries permanent secretary, accompanied his VPO colleague in the visit, assessing the growing challenge of water hyacinth and explore sustainable solutions.

Environmental degradation is a significant challenge affecting residents and must be addressed through collective action in urban clean-up activities. The VPO civil servant intoned, urging residents to stop turning Lake Victoria and other water bodies into dumping grounds, as this contributes to environmental destruction and poses serious risks.

Insisting that environmental protection is a battle the country has to fight together as it directly affects people's lives, he said that “everyone must take part in cleaning and stop polluting the environment." 

Following a report from Jerome Kayombo, the Lake Zone manager for the National Environmental Management Council (NEMC), Tanzanian experts would have an opportunity to visit Uganda to learn strategies for controlling water hyacinth, he stated.

Uganda has successfully managed the problem, he added.