Wild Fire is an Eminent Danger to Human Life and Property in Western Equatoria State
I come in this time to send you my greetings and express my heartfelt condolences and sympathy to the people who have been affected by the wildfire which has been ravaging most parts of Western Equatoria during this dry season in this month of March. The fire has caused huge loss of life, harm to individuals, and destructions to properties and the environment.
It has therefore caused a lot of grief, confusion, and pain within our communities. I am so sorry for all those who have tragically died as a result of the fires and my heart goes to their families, their beloved ones, and to the entire community that this has actually happened to us and it is a disaster.
So many people have been left homeless and therefore the impact of this wildfire is hugely felt. I am not here to lay blames on anybody but to just express the fact that we as a community are facing this reality and this is not the first time as this has unfortunately been happening in every dry season; what differs is just the magnitudes of the destructions.
As we regret the loss of life, as we pray for those who have passed on. We also pray for the strength, courage, hope, and healing for those who are grieving the loss of their loved ones as well as healing for those who have been physically harmed by the fire; we ask God to help us handle this situation with intelligence and with the right mind and right attitude so that we can all feel responsible when difficulties of this nature come in our midst.
With this, we awaken too to the level of response, kindness, solidarity, support, and care for those who have been affected. Let our hearts be touched so that those among us who are able to do something may run to the rescue and support those who have been affected.
At the same time, we are also awakened to the fact that this has happened, the dry season is still on and in order to prevent similar devastations, let take necessary precautions in order to prevent any possible causes of the fire that can spread into the forests and plantations. Let us make sure that whenever there is a fire outbreak, it is put off before it spread. We should at the same time avoid lighting fire in open places especially during the day when the wind is blowing as this can result in it being carried by the wind and resulting in calamities as such we have witnessed during the recent day.
We must also make sure that we do not leave a fire in open places at night where it can possibly be blown by the wind and spread; we need to put off any fire used in the open when we are done with our cooking or burning of rubbish. Let us take this as our responsibility and safeguard our communities from any fire outbreaks and the resulting tragedies.
Our level of awareness is also a factor that needs to be considered. We know now that fire can be quite destructive and therefore we need to inform ourselves that the environment belongs to all of us and burning it is not right and can result in calamities that may affect all of us including those who accidentally or intentionally start such fires. Destroying the environment is not only dangerous to the individuals who instigate the destruction but to the entire community that depends on that particular environment. We, therefore, have to educate ourselves on how to change this mentality of destroying the environment at will especially with regards to burning bushes and forests.
Finally, I think it is upon us in various leadership positions to now raise up a campaign against causing wildfire out of negligence and carelessness. We need to come up with legal measures that would ensure that those found culpable of contravening such measures be subjected to legal actions. To do this we have to wake up and involve all our systems in order to prevent such calamities from happening in the future.
I am extremely sad and sorry for what has befallen a number of families due to the tragedies caused by recent wildfires. Let this situation call to mind our collective responsibilities that would prevent such incidences from happening in the future. I thank those who have moved quickly to support the affected individuals and families and urge more people to continue doing so.
I know that people have lost a lot, coffee plantations, cassava, tea plantations, and many more properties have been lost and people are devastated. Let us take this opportunity of the Lent period to learn to change certain things that may look like habits or culture or our way of doing things but where changes are required for the safety and wellbeing of our communities. Let us embrace a positive change for the good of our families, for the good of our communities, for the good of our beloved country South Sudan.
May the blessings of our Lord Jesus Christ be upon you all.
Barani Eduardo Hiiboro, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Tombura-Yambio
