allAfrica.com: Namibia: Consideration Risks Within Environmental Impact Assessment (Page 1 of 3)

According to the preliminary report of the Central Statistical Office of 1991, the rural areas account for 58 percent of the population while the urban areas account for 42 percent.

The rate of population growth is estimated at 3.0 percent per annum. About 32 percent of the African population live in the urban area and are involved in the manufacturing, for example in oil production, processing agricultural products, mining and related processes, etc.

In Namibia the rural population depends on agriculture as their source of income and livelihood. The urban dwellers on the other hand depend on employment both in the formal and informal sectors of the economy. The major industrial operations in Namibia include: manufacture of fertilizers, paper and wood products, textile, cotton products, general engineering structures and machinery, glass products, leather goods, plastic and rubber products, explosives, food, drinks and tobacco products, fisheries, mining and quarrying agricultural, hydro-electricity power generation, construction and allied repairs, distribution, transport and communications, community, social and personal services.

Manufacturing is a potential dynamic contributor to the Namibian economy. While the country's relatively rich and forestry resources have been already significantly exploited, manufacturing and mineral resources remain largely unexploited and could constitute one of the pillars of future economic growth if adequately managed. The combination of a rich and largely unexploited natural resource base, a relatively low population density and the low level of infrastructure development have so far spared Namibia from many of environmental problems which afflict its neighbours. Due to the low level of urbanization and industrial development the country has been spared from significant urban and industrial pollution problems.

However, rapid population growth and the opening up of economy are likely to lead to significantly higher demands on the country's resource base and some degradation is already apparent. In this situation the government committed to upgrade the importance of the police focus and strategic priority of the environment. By addressing the institutional arrangement planning and management process, the government intends to improve the efficiencies of program delivery and avoid the potential for negative effects and risks to the environment. As key issue the environmental impact studies need to be introduced in the process of projects development in Namibia.

Key agencies in the environmental assessment

Due to the cross-sectoral nature of environmental issues, varies ministries and agencies are involved in environmental affairs. Overall coordination and oversight of environmental affairs will be assigned to the directorate environment affairs in the ministry of environment and tourism. The ministry of agriculture, water and forestry (directorate forestry) and the ministry of environment and tourism (department of natural resource) are the key agencies in the area of natural resource management. The ministry of health and social services will be responsible for the formulation of pollution and occupational standards, and the local authorities will be responsible for the water supply and sanitation. The environment department's charter as defined by the government policy needs to consolidate to provide it with the mandate to actively intervene in overall environmental management.

Department of environment's role needs to focus to permit it to adequately address environmental issues. It requires carrying out a wide range of activities that includes:

- policy coordination for science and technology;

- provision of support services in the areas of information and computer training to other agencies;

- design and implementation of industrial and meteorology standards; and

- coordination and inter-ministry facilitation of environmental affairs.

The directorate environment affairs will act as secretariat to the interministerial working group which aims to provide an institutional arrangement, advises and recommendations on environment and resource use issues. The interministerial working group has members from relevant line agencies and should be headed by the director of environment, who would report through the line minister to the Prime Minister Officer.

Resolution made by the interministerial working group covering resource use conflicts and related issues would require endorsement by the Prime Minister.

Major decisions of environmental consequence such as construction of a new hydro-power facility would be refer to the interministerial working group which would be use the analyses prepared by the environment department and others submission from other agencies, including committee for planning and cooperation and line ministries as basic for decision making. The interministerial working group will have an important role in identifying policy a programe issues, reviewing the impacts of programs and technical issues and making recommendations concerning their solution. The interministerial working group has an important galvanizing effect on developing intersectoral and interagency processes. The line ministries, particularly the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry, and the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology, the Ministry of Works and Transport should be responsible for ensuring the effective implementation of environmental assessment procedures within their respective sectors. This will include a responsibility for ensuring the:

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