KAMPALA, 3 March 2009 (IRIN) – The ice caps on the Rwenzori Mountains along Uganda’s western border have receded significantly in the past century and could disappear completely in the next few years, experts said.
Already, melting ice caps have hit water catchments and eco-tourism. Should changes continue at current rates, Uganda would also suffer lower agricultural productivity due to reduced, erratic rainfall and the emergence of new pests, and increased incidences of diseases such as malaria.
Already now some of the effects of a changing climate is affecting livelihoods in Uganda.
A National Adaption Plan of Action (NAPA) reports notes that malaria has increased countrywide, including in south-western highland areas where it was not prevalent before.
Also, between 1991 and 2000, the country experienced drought seven times. As a result, water tables have dropped, leaving many boreholes, on which the rural poor rely, dry and affecting hydro-electric power generation.
In addition, what little rain fell came in concentrated heavy showers and storms, causing floods in lowlands and landslides in highlands. In 2007, for example, floods hit eastern Uganda, spreading waterborne diseases and destroying crops and infrastructure.
-Drought is the single most important and widespread disaster in Uganda, the NAPA report noted. -It is increasing in frequency and severity, particularly in the semi-arid areas of the cattle corridor. The rural poor, whose livelihoods are dependent on natural resources, are most affected.
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