Plastic pollution is a common problem in the Lake Albert region because plastic is cheap, widely used, and often discarded carelessly. Because of its strength and durability, plastic discarded into the environment can remain in soil and water for many years. The problem is growing as plastic production and consumption rise with the spread of factories and small-scale industries in the region, while there is no waste management plan or infrastructure in place and environmental education remains limited in many fishing communities along the lake.
A Plastic Cleanup at Kolokoto Landing Site
In response, Environmental Defenders organized a one-day plastic cleanup on Lake Albert to remove polythene bags, plastic, and other waste from Kolokoto fishing village, near Mahagi Port in Mahagi territory, Ituri Province, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The cleanup took place on November 14, 2022. Environmental Defenders teams worked alongside local government officials, religious leaders, members of the fishing community, and youth, with the police, the army, border security officials, and health officials also taking part. The exercise had three main goals: to clear the Kolokoto landing site of the plastic and polythene waste that has become a major threat to Lake Albert as a water source, to promote community health and prevent water pollution, and to raise awareness of the harm caused by poor waste disposal in the fishing village.
Protecting Water Sources and Public Health
Through activities like this, Environmental Defenders is protecting water sources, promoting environmental stewardship, and mobilizing local communities, including women and youth, to take charge of environmental protection. During the cleanup, Uguti Upar Justin of Radio Terra FM urged residents to protect water sources and encouraged the people of Kolokoto to embrace a safer, cleaner environment that would not contribute to the spread of diseases such as cholera. In recent years, cholera cases have been reported in fishing villages on Lake Albert, which experts attribute in part to poor hygiene and waste disposal. Residents were urged to practice good environmental hygiene to prevent disease outbreaks.
Local Leaders Call for More Cleanups
The environment officer for Wagungu, Ibrahim Anyolitho, thanked Environmental Defenders and said the effort would have the greatest impact if residents supported it. He urged people who use polythene bags, especially vendors who sell water in them, to dispose of them properly and to keep collection bins near the places where they sell their products.
The village chief of Kolokoto, Ufoy Ugengo, also congratulated Environmental Defenders and asked that the cleanup be extended to other fishing communities beyond Kolokoto. He urged local business owners to keep their surroundings clean and to stop discarding plastic debris and polythene bags carelessly where they work.
Learn more about Environmental Defenders’ work with Lake Albert fishing communities, our reporting on plastic pollution in Bunia, and our biodiversity and climate program.
