According to the World Health Organization, Air pollution is contamination of the indoor or outdoor environment by any chemical, physical or biological agent that modifies the natural characteristics of the atmosphere.
Globally the key drivers of air pollution include household combustion devices, motor vehicles, industrial facilities, and Urbanization are common sources of air pollution. Pollutants of major public health concern include particulate matter, carbon monoxide, ozone, and nitrogen dioxide the case is no different for Central Uganda
The world Health Organization (WHO) indicates that almost all of the global population (99%) breathe air that exceeds WHO guideline limits and contains high levels of pollutants, with low- and middle-income countries suffering from the highest exposures. Air quality is closely linked to the earth’s climate and ecosystems globally.
According to the Air Visual’s 2018 World Air Quality Report, the annual air quality in Kampala based on presence of particulate matter (PM2.5 of 40.4µg/m3) was two times higher than the levels recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) of 25µg/m. Air pollution is a growing challenge not just in Kampala City but across all regions of Uganda.
To deal with air pollution, the Government of Uganda has put in place a robust legal and policy frame work and yet this has not solved the problem because of the laxity in enforcement of the available laws and regulations by the relevant institutions of government.
The available laws and regulations governing air pollution in Uganda include: The constitution of the Republic of Uganda 1995 as Amended, the National Environment Act cap 153, National Environment (Amendment) Act 2019, National Environment Management Act, Climate Change Act 2021, National Environment (Audit) regulations 2020, National Environment (ozone depleting substances and products) regulations SI No. 48 of 2020, National Environment (waste management) regulations SI No. 49 of 2020, petroleum (waste management) regulations 2020, strategic environmental guidelines 2020 etc.
There are also international legal systems that are very important means of controlling Air pollution. The two primary sources of international law are custom and treaties, and both play a crucial role in regulating international pollution. Firstly, countries have an obligation through customary international law to not cause transboundary environmental harm including pollution.
Further the precautionary approach, addresses circumstances where significant health, safety, or environmental risks may be involved although full scientific certainty is lacking.
Treaties, which are often referred to as conventions or protocols, are also significant in protection of the environment against pollution and these include: the 2001 Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), Kyoto protocol 1997, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 1994 etc. Uganda is a signatory to these conventions.
World Health Organisation indicates that approximately 7 million people die each year from airborne diseases about one third of those die from stroke, chronic respiratory disease, and lung cancer, as well as one quarter of the deaths are from heart attack, and an estimated 1 million of these deaths is occurring in Africa.
Air pollution is a problem that costs the global economy $5 trillion every year in welfare costs; and it is fundamentally altering our climate, with profound impacts on the health of the planet. In Central Uganda air pollution has implications that are largely social and economic in nature to wit: – reduced workforce productivity, and human capital, work absences, lower crop yield. It is also considered a negative externality in production and imposes external costs on people who are external to the transaction of a polluting product.
The biggest challenge in dealing with air pollution is growing urbanization in Central Uganda, this has led to deforestation of green zones that serve as carbon sinks. There are also a number of other challenges as below;
Little/no impact mitigation systems put in place and many industrial facilities have no proper pollution abatement system, which will continue to reduce air quality and companies fail to comply with environmentally-friendly practices because they know they can get away with it.
Significant increase in public transport. In 2017, there was 95% increase in transport licensed vehicles for public use, 25% increase in privately registered vehicles and 12% increase in newly registered motorcycles (UBOS report, 2019). With many reconditioned vehicles imported into the country the levels of air pollution are likely to increase if no action is taken to address this concern.
Lack of Government commitment to invest and fully engage citizens in clean energy transition discourse is also a big obstacle to a clean and healthy environment.
All the above highlighted challenges create enormous opportunities to people within Central Uganda, civil society and institutions of government these are largely social and economic in nature.
In response to air pollution from public transport, The Government of Uganda banned the importation of vehicles older than ten (10) years and vehicle emission limits have been provided for in the Traffic Control Act. However, this is not sufficient there’s an opportunity to explore and invest in electric vehicles to deal with the problem of air pollution from automobiles.
pollution also presents an opportunity to embrace, invest and transition to the use of clean energy which is a key pillar in the Green economy model.
In the foregoing Human rights defenders (EHRDs) have a significant role to push government to act on air pollution, this can be done through Advocacy, creating awareness among citizens and engaging government, mobilizing the masses to demand for accountability from government and pursuing relevant authorities in courts of law (public interest litigation)
The idea of environmental governance stipulates a compendium of ethics and morals that often get illumination of their radiance from the civil society wedded with ecological accountability, governmental transparency, democratic institutionalism, the rule of law and environmental justice. In this context Green Deal aims to run a blend of activities in Advocacy and research to unravel the responsibility of corporations in air pollution.
Ronald Nampura
Associate-Public Interest Litigation
Green Deal
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