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Stop environmental destruction in Arumeru
2006-09-19 09:40:01
By Editor
A depressing story from Arusha Region appears in this paper on page five. It is about threat on the environment faced in both the Arusha municipality and its neighbouring Arumeru District.
The area is under threat of becoming a desert due to increasing soil erosion brought about by illegal quarrying activities carried out by women and youth who number nearly 4,000.
The result of this, according to the report, is that the area now being turned into caverns and pits, enhancing soil erosion.
According to the story, the destructive activities to the environment have been going on for years, with authorities taking no serious action to curb the problem.
The report further says that lack of education on environmental conservation is contributing largely to environmental degradation in the area.
In as much as we agree that lack of education on environmental issues is a contributing factor, we still side with the argument that the authorities have been standing on the sidelines watching the wanton destruction taking place.
This kind of approach neither addresses the issue nor satisfies the needs of environmentalists. In effect, it implies that nothing should be done until the community is educated on the adverse effects of environmental destruction.
We believe that both education and taking deliberate steps to arrest the situation should go in tandem.
That is why we hailed the government, when early this year, it evicted people who had been engaging in quarrying and crushing stones for building materials at Kunduchi area in Dare es Salaam.
For decades, the authorities had been watching this destruction going on without taking any action until the whole land was eaten away and the main road was threatened with erosion.
The government had said it would never compromise with such activities. We have also seen similar moves, namely the removal of the hundreds of thousands of livestock in Ihefu valley in Mbarali District.
This goes without mentioning the restrictions given to harvesters of forest products, specifically those engaged in lumbering and charcoal business.
We think that authorities in Arusha Region and other areas where environmental destruction is taking place should take immediate action..
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