‘The lake is our life’: Protecting a shared lifeline in Uganda

On the shores of Nkondo, in Uganda’s Kikuube district, the day begins before sunrise. Fishers enter the lake to fish, while families around Lake Albert rely on its waters for food, income and daily survival.But, behind these daily activities lies an increasingly visible threat: plastic waste and other debris entering Lake Albert.Leaders of the local fishing community are warning that without urgent action, pollution could endanger fish stocks and, as a consequence, the lives of future generations.Like the local fishers, the UN has also warned of the decline of freshwater species due to pollution and environmental degradation in recent decades.Surface water bodies are shrinking or being completely lost in areas home to 93.1 million people, while more than a quarter are becoming increasingly cloudy because of pollution, according to a 2024 report by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and UN-Water.In celebration of World Lake Day, marked annually on 27 August, Solomon Wamara, the chairperson for fishers on Lake Albert, said the community cannot continue to view the lake as a source of livelihood while allowing it to be filled with waste.“It is a good time to highlight the threats fac...