Why local govts fail to conserve the environment
May 14, 2008
LOCAL Governments are charged with a wide range of responsibilities including environment conservation. But poor controls, inadequate financing, voter pressure and corruption has compromised the role of local leaders in enforcing environment regulations.
LOCAL Governments are charged with a wide range of responsibilities including environment conservation. But poor controls, inadequate financing, voter pressure and corruption has compromised the role of local leaders in enforcing environment regulations, writes Joshua Kato.
In most urban areas wetlands are rapidly being encroached on, while garbage heaps and pollution are also increasing. In rural areas, human pressure, especially as people look for land to settle and practice agriculture — the environment is being seriously degraded.
“The National Environment Act, cap 153 provides for districts to be involved in environmental planning and management,†says Beatrice Adimola, Director, District Support Coordination and Public Education, National Environment Management Authority (NEMA).
Among the responsibilities of the local governments as far as environment protection is concerned include, vector control, environment sanitation, provision and maintenance of water supplies, fisheries management, planning forests and wetlands.
“They are also supposed to provide and maintain recreational facilities and assist the Government to preserve the environment through protection of forests, wetlands, lakeshores, streams and prevention of environmental de-gradation,†Adimola says.
Urban areas like Kampala city and municipalities such as Jinja and Mbarara are supposed to manage slaughter houses, cold storage facilities and premises for inspection of foods.
They are also supposed to manage zoos and botanical gardens, camping and grazing areas, removal of garbage, water supplies outside the jurisdiction of the National Water and Sewerage Cooperation, prohibiting and restricting garbage disposal, solid waste management, the quarrying of stone, lime, clay, marram, the burning of rubbish and grassland.
According to Adimola, local governments should have environment management in all their development plans and budgets.
“Districts should have a fully staffed and adequately facilitated natural resources department, with at least one environmental officer. Every district should have a functional district environment committee and local environment committees in all sub-counties,†Adimola says. Most districts have got the responsible officers, however, in many cases, they have failed at their duties. “The environment continues to be destroyed because communities have problems like poverty, deprivation and ill health,†Adimola laments.
In many of these urban areas, wetlands, like the Nakivubo wetlands in Kampala are being destroyed. Garbage heaps are rotting away on the streets because local leaders, say they lack funds to remove the garbage them. In most urban areas, including Kampala, they have less than 25% of the minimum abilities needed to remove garbage and enforce environmental regulations.
Civil pressures.
There are civil pressures in many areas. Local leaders are caught between enforcing environmental regulations and helping their people settle down. According to Ikoba Tigawalana, LC5 Chairman Mayuge, there is a conflict between the local administration and environmental conservationists over the population that encroached on a forest in Mayuge.
The environmentalists want the people out of the forests but local administrators want the people to take part in forest activities.
The other such case is in Kooki, Rakai district, where area MP Mugumya Magulumaali who is pushing for an agreement with the National Forestry Authority (NFA) to save some of his constituents from being evicted from a forest reserve. “All of us love the environment, but we also have the population to take care of,†Magulumaali says.
In Fort-portal, there has been an ongoing struggle between Mpanga School and the NFA over a section of a national forest reserve. NFA wanted the school to leave the said reserve, while the local authorities, led by MP Steven Kaliba differed and supported the school. Similar cases are going on around mountain Elgon areas, were the local population is battling against environmentalists.
In the upland rice growing areas, environmentalists have queried the manner in which palm tree swamps have been cut down.
Such areas include parts of Luwero, Nakaseke, parts of Kayunga, Kiboga and Wakiso. However, according to Ronald Ndawula, LC5 Chairman Luwero district, it is hard to balance development, with environmental protection. He says local people do not think, growing rice in a swamp can destroy the environment. Because of voters pressure, in many cases enforcing the environmental regulations at local level is a problem.
Charcoal production is one of the leading causes of environmental degradation, however it is also a leading source of income for villagers, which makes fighting the vice hard. “Between 1990 and 2004, Nakasongola District lost 50% of its forest cover to charcoal production,†Adimola says.
Local leaders can also mobilise the population to help save the environment.
According to Kampala City Town Clerk, Ruth Kijjambu, KCC has got ordinances that regulate garbage disposal. One of the ordinances was passed in 2000. It requires people to contribute a fee to garbage management. “All garbage should be paid for by the garbage generators to a licensed garbage collector,†she says.
The ordinance is a legal requirement in the KCC Solid Waste Management Ordnance. According to local leaders, as long as there are resources constraints and a lot of social pressure, environment issues will continue to exist.
In most urban areas wetlands are rapidly being encroached on, while garbage heaps and pollution are also increasing. In rural areas, human pressure, especially as people look for land to settle and practice agriculture — the environment is being seriously degraded.
“The National Environment Act, cap 153 provides for districts to be involved in environmental planning and management,†says Beatrice Adimola, Director, District Support Coordination and Public Education, National Environment Management Authority (NEMA).
Among the responsibilities of the local governments as far as environment protection is concerned include, vector control, environment sanitation, provision and maintenance of water supplies, fisheries management, planning forests and wetlands.
“They are also supposed to provide and maintain recreational facilities and assist the Government to preserve the environment through protection of forests, wetlands, lakeshores, streams and prevention of environmental de-gradation,†Adimola says.
Urban areas like Kampala city and municipalities such as Jinja and Mbarara are supposed to manage slaughter houses, cold storage facilities and premises for inspection of foods.
They are also supposed to manage zoos and botanical gardens, camping and grazing areas, removal of garbage, water supplies outside the jurisdiction of the National Water and Sewerage Cooperation, prohibiting and restricting garbage disposal, solid waste management, the quarrying of stone, lime, clay, marram, the burning of rubbish and grassland.
According to Adimola, local governments should have environment management in all their development plans and budgets.
“Districts should have a fully staffed and adequately facilitated natural resources department, with at least one environmental officer. Every district should have a functional district environment committee and local environment committees in all sub-counties,†Adimola says. Most districts have got the responsible officers, however, in many cases, they have failed at their duties. “The environment continues to be destroyed because communities have problems like poverty, deprivation and ill health,†Adimola laments.
In many of these urban areas, wetlands, like the Nakivubo wetlands in Kampala are being destroyed. Garbage heaps are rotting away on the streets because local leaders, say they lack funds to remove the garbage them. In most urban areas, including Kampala, they have less than 25% of the minimum abilities needed to remove garbage and enforce environmental regulations.
Civil pressures.
There are civil pressures in many areas. Local leaders are caught between enforcing environmental regulations and helping their people settle down. According to Ikoba Tigawalana, LC5 Chairman Mayuge, there is a conflict between the local administration and environmental conservationists over the population that encroached on a forest in Mayuge.
The environmentalists want the people out of the forests but local administrators want the people to take part in forest activities.
The other such case is in Kooki, Rakai district, where area MP Mugumya Magulumaali who is pushing for an agreement with the National Forestry Authority (NFA) to save some of his constituents from being evicted from a forest reserve. “All of us love the environment, but we also have the population to take care of,†Magulumaali says.
In Fort-portal, there has been an ongoing struggle between Mpanga School and the NFA over a section of a national forest reserve. NFA wanted the school to leave the said reserve, while the local authorities, led by MP Steven Kaliba differed and supported the school. Similar cases are going on around mountain Elgon areas, were the local population is battling against environmentalists.
In the upland rice growing areas, environmentalists have queried the manner in which palm tree swamps have been cut down.
Such areas include parts of Luwero, Nakaseke, parts of Kayunga, Kiboga and Wakiso. However, according to Ronald Ndawula, LC5 Chairman Luwero district, it is hard to balance development, with environmental protection. He says local people do not think, growing rice in a swamp can destroy the environment. Because of voters pressure, in many cases enforcing the environmental regulations at local level is a problem.
Charcoal production is one of the leading causes of environmental degradation, however it is also a leading source of income for villagers, which makes fighting the vice hard. “Between 1990 and 2004, Nakasongola District lost 50% of its forest cover to charcoal production,†Adimola says.
Local leaders can also mobilise the population to help save the environment.
According to Kampala City Town Clerk, Ruth Kijjambu, KCC has got ordinances that regulate garbage disposal. One of the ordinances was passed in 2000. It requires people to contribute a fee to garbage management. “All garbage should be paid for by the garbage generators to a licensed garbage collector,†she says.
The ordinance is a legal requirement in the KCC Solid Waste Management Ordnance. According to local leaders, as long as there are resources constraints and a lot of social pressure, environment issues will continue to exist.