Tourist Boat Anchored By Plastic Waste: Know About This Ugandan Guide's Efforts To Revive Lake Victoria

Going beyond his line of duty, a tour guide in Uganda has taken it upon himself to clear Lake Victoria and revive it in its natural scenic beauty. Lake Victoria is the world's second-largest freshwater lake and spans three countries. It was blanketed by runoff waste and other pollution for the longest time, which was then further catalysed by a decline in water levels due to climate change. Bringing back the old Lake Victoria familiar to him, the former guide - James Kateeba, is on a mission to revive the lake with a little help from the community.

Example Of Sustainable Business

Today Lake Victoria is a sight to behold. Flowering plants are said to rise from the lake onto a wooden boat, which is one of the major tourist attractions. All the greenery surrounding the boat and lake premises are collective efforts directed by Kateeba. His innovative recycling project used thousands of dirt-encrusted plastic bottles to anchor the boat and turn it into a picturesque spot for tourists to stop by.

Kateeba had started building the boat back in 2017 in response to the tons of plastic waste plaguing the lake after heavy rains. His vessel served as an example of a sustainable business - a floating restaurant and bar anchored by an unexpected load of waste material. Jaro Matusiewicz, a businessman visiting from Greece, was pouring in praises for the initiative and said that he had never before seen a place like Kateeba's boat. A report by The Hindu quoted him saying, "If he's collecting the bottles and using them, it's fantastic! You are not only cleaning the environment but also providing something unique."

Many who come by to relax at the lakeside restaurant see it as any other restaurant and are not much aware of the boat's backstory. However, those who have known the lake like the back of their palms have seen the lake transform every day back to how it used to be. Earlier layers of plastic waste would float near the lake and premises as a clear indicator of pollution. This was particularly worrying for the fishing communities that are heavily dependent on the lake. Speaking about this, Kateeba said, "The fact that we had a problem of pollution as a country…I decided to design something out of the ordinary."

Recycling Tons Of Plastic Innovatively

Kateeba started off the project by asking for cooperation from the fishermen in nearby sites to collect plastic bottles for a small fee. Within about six months time, he received more than 10 tons of bottles, and batches of each were tied up in fishing nets and daubed with solid dirt. This made a sustainable solution to the plastic waste polluting the region. Apart from creating the firm bases upon which the boat is that moored boat, it also provides fertile ground for climbing tropical plants.

Kateeba believes that his boat, marketed as the Floating Island, is a first-of-its-kind "conservation effort" to protect one of Africa's great lakes from degradation. Similar such projects were launched across the world and right in Africa. In 2018, on the beaches of Kenya, a small boat known as the Flipflopi was built entirely from recycled plastic that once littered the shores and towns along the Indian Ocean. In 2021, the Flipflopi went on a ride across Lake Victoria "to raise awareness of the pollution plaguing the region's most critical freshwater ecosystem." With his boat adding to the conservation efforts, Kateeba said that he hopes to encourage more people to design things and think eco-friendly.

Also Read: Youngsters Lead In Preparing Community For Climate Change Events