Kitgum Woman MP Beatrice Anywar who is a renowned environment activist in Uganda has expressed support for the government to spray DDT to kill malaria causing anopheles mosquitoes.
Mosquito which spreads Malaria disease
The government is this July set to start indoor residual spraying of DDT in different parts of the country in an effort Health Minister James Kakooza says will help Uganda solve the high incidence of malaria, which is the leading killer disease in Uganda, and constitutes a high economic burden on individuals and the government.
But businesspeople and especially environmentalists in Uganda have been opposed to the spraying of DDT arguing that it might contaminate plants and water bodies, and thereby reduce on the market of Uganda’s agriculture products in the European Union, as well cause diseases that have been known to result from the direct use of DDT.
But Anywar says while the health concerns are valid, DDT if sprayed properly does not affect people and the environment. She says the government should go ahead and spray DDT to solve a big problem in the country, but must ensure the chemical does not go into water bodies and gardens to contaminate the environment and affect people’s health.