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Striking the balance between conservation and human rights
2006-03-07 08:06:36
By Editor
During President Jakaya Kikwete first visit at Mtera Dam early this year, the Minister in the Vice -President’s Office, Prof Mark Mwandosya, had said that there was a need to curve out more reserves upstream on the Great Ruaha River so as to ensure perennial flows in the river which is the lifeline of Mtera Dam.
The President’s tour, during which he was accompanied by the Ministers for Environment, Water and Energy and Minerals, came in the wake of an acute power rationing that had threatened the economy of the country.
It was clear from the remarks by Prof Mwandosya that the anxiety that was shown by the government on the drying up of the Mtera Dam had its roots in the environmental destruction that was going on in the catchment area of the Great Ruaha, with the result that little water was left to flow into the dam.
Creation of more reserve areas with the aim of conserving the sources of the rivers and protecting the natural environment seems to be the most logical and reasonable strategy to solve the problem at hand, much as it would be a long term strategy.
For it is quite clear that the environmental destruction done to the basin and catchment area is horrendous and cannot be repaired within a short time. Even if rehabilitation is undertaken within say, a span of five years, the fruits of such efforts may be realised after a decade or more.
Yet we believe that the Minister’s suggestion could provide a solution to the water crisis that the Usangu and other basins are facing and lift us from the power blues that have greatly affected our social and economic lives.
But we would like to caution here that while we set in motion a new wave of conservation of the natural environment, we should be careful not to tread on the rights of communities that are likely to be affected.
We have in mind the recent announcement by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism that it intends to turn the Uluguru Mountain range into a reserve.
We fully support the move because we know that turning the mountain range into a reserve would lead to conservation and protection of water sources.
Many of the rivers that flow through Morogoro, Coast and Dar es Salaam regions have their origins in these mountains.
In fact, the severe water shortage that the regions have been experiencing has been caused by environmental destruction being done by people who have settled on the slopes.
A well managed reserve would surely protect the river sources and to a great extent alleviate the water crisis in the two regions.
Yet we are concerned about the future of the communities that would have to be evicted from the mountains to pave way for the establishment of the reserve.
Most of them have lived in the area for over a decade and have thus established their livelihood.
Evicting them would entail starting a new life and establishing new livelihoods, something which may pose problems.
We suggest that authorities identify places to move these people, which would enable them to start a new life and earn a living with the minimum of problems.
The same should be done to residents of Doma and Melela in Morogoro Region and Kikondo in Makete district, all of which are earmarked for relocation.
It would be a good idea if a campaign to raise awareness on the importance of conservation and the justification for their relocation would precede their eviction.
There is no doubt that conservation of the natural environment is key to the development of the nation but while we are it, we should uphold the rights of the communities to earn their living from the environment.
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