The case of Nsanje World in Land Port’s idleness which the Malawi Government launched in October 2010 after spending US$ 3.9 Billion for its construction which now the infrastructure has turned into a bush
The Malawi Constitution clearly stipulates that responsible environmental management contributes towards achieving sustainable development, improved standards of people’s living and conservation of natural resources such as water, air, soil, vegetation, animals.
By signing the 1992 Rio Declaration on environment and development, Malawi committed herself to principle 17 concerning Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
EIA therefore is both a process and tool for project planning and decision-making purportedly to ensure that environmental and socio-economic costs and benefits of economic development projects are properly accounted for. It is simply means a national instrument to be undertaken for proposed activities that are likely to have a significant adverse impact on the environment and are subject to a decision of a competent national authority.
This is reason the Malawi Government developed the National Environmental Action Plan (NEAP) in 1994 to provide the framework for integrating environmental protection and management in all national development programs and also to be used as a reference document to guide planners, developers and donors. Environmental Management Act (EMA) was developed in 1996 which part V, Section 24-26, legislates EIA that developers could comply to prescribed project before it is carried.
This legal framework mandated the authority to safe guarding the environment and natural resources into the desire to attain sustainable economic growth and development based on a multi-sectoral approach which is embodied in Malawi’s Vision 2020 as it leads;“By the year 2020, Malawi, as a God-fearing nation will be secure, democratically mature, environmentally sustainable, self-reliant with equal opportunities for and active participation by all, having social services, vibrant culture and religious values and technologically driven middle-income economy”.
The 2004 Environmental Policy and EMA give Malawians the right to clean and healthy environment in the presence of supporting mechanisms in place including EIA. As such, EIA demands Environmental Management Plan (EMP) or System (EMS) of that particular project to be followed when is carried.
EMP provides detailed of work program or schedule of a projects which includes technical control measure, an integrated management scheme, monitoring, contingency measures, operating practices, project scheduling, joint management with affected groups, mitigation costs and value judgments.
“EIA stimulates wide spread interests amongst all those concerned to protect the environment and that every Malawian, including politicians, business persons, student are to give the guideline (EIA) process the support it deserves by using it as a tool in decision making as a benchmark in ensuring that our development endeavours do not lead to unnecessary further degradation”, outlines Mayinga Mkandawire, the former Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and Environmental Affairs in 1997 Guidelines For Environmental Impact Assessment book.
EIA constitutes project concept, pre-feasibility and feasibility studies, designing and engineering, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation which the Environmental Affairs Department, a legal body mandated to ensure that developers comply with it.
Thus, only prescribed public-sector (State or Government) or Private-sector projects undergo EIA process after screened and scoped. If the project is not a prescribed, no further action regarding to EIA is required by the developer such that operating licenses are issued by government agency (Environmental Affairs Department) responsible for the development.
Such projects include agriculture or aquaculture, forestry, logging schemes to take place, mining, infrastructure and land development, energy generation, transmission, tourism, waste treatment and disposal, water supply and others.
According to 2003 EIA’s Country Report by Peta- Jane Spong And Bryony Walmsley, environmental consultants revealed that only 35 projects underwent EIA between 1998 and April 2002 since EIA was legislated in the EMA in 1996 which slightly indicated growing awareness of EIAs required by developers as well as an improvement in enforcement by Government.
But, the recent mushrooming of public-sector projects the Malawi government implementing is reportedly exempted from compliance with EIAs. This has raised concerns from various stakeholders, a development which is bringing adverse effects on social and economic welfares of Malawians.
For instance, the Nsanje World in Land Port’s idleness which the Malawi Government launched in October 2010 after spending US$ 3.9 Billion for its construction which now the infrastructure has turned into a bush and also where fishermen are drying fishes dashing hopes for many Malawians in Nsanje district due to Malawi’s economic and political woes and geopolitical problems with Mozambique Government.
“I had a great sense of hope and optimism when the project was launched. Coupled with nice roads that have changed the face of district, Nsanje was full of smiles. Now we are at a cross roads. We are still hopeful, but at the same time we can also smell deep disappointment especially with so little progress so far”, dashes social-economic fortunes of Nsanje in LandPort, Robert Kachitaya, a Nsanje Boma resident.
The Mozambique Government –an eminent partner in such a project is demanding a comprehensive feasibility Study, a pre-requisite for EIA from Malawi’s desire to use the Shire and Zambezi rivers for navigation to the Indian Ocean.
“You do not send ships along the territorial waters of another country without having very clear procedures that must be followed. We are open and we are going to work on the matter. In this whole case, economic viability cannot be imposed not even as a joke. A study should be made with our agreement. After this we shall see what position to take”, clears the mess, the former Mozambique President Armando Guebuza during a bilateral economic Summit between Mozambique and South Africa in November 2010.
Thus, it is not strange also to hear the former Principal Secretary in the Office of President and Cabinet (OPC) responsible for Nutrition and HIV and AIDS, Mary Shawa lamenting that most government project in the capital city do not streamline HIV/AIDS in the EIA which has lead into high prevalence rate of the pandemic since such public–sector projects are exempted from EIA.
“If HIV/AIDS was taken on board, in the EIA, the requirement would have been that employees of these foreign contractors would bring their spouses to deter them from sleeping around. However, that is not being done”, complains Dr Shawa on the significance of mainstreaming gender and HIV/AIDS in EIAs in various projects .
Malawi has for the recent years implemented various projects without conducting EIAs. Most of theses projects are founded by Chinese government including NewMalawiParliamentBuilding, Karonga -Chitipa road, FiveStarCenter and Presidential Villas (which has been christened to UmodziPark) and Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST).
But, why some of these prescribed projects are exempted from EIAs despite its legitimacy as stipulated in the Environmental Act of 1996 and by also keeping in mind that have adverse impacts on the environment?
“Although authorities are committed to environmental management, socio-economic growth, development priorities and basic needs typically override sustainability of the environment”, says Spong and Walmsley in their 2003 EIA report to Malawi.
This observation coincides with the late President Bingu Wa Munthalika’s gratitude to developmental projects which the Chinese government has offered to Malawians without conditions attached to it hence EIA compliance is ignored in favour of socio-economic benefits over sustainability of the environment and natural resources.
“China has given Malawi all these developmental structures without any preconditions. They have not asked Malawi to adopt political, economic and social policies that harm the country’s national integrity or destroy its customs and traditions. They have given these things simply from one friend to another friend”, proclaimed the late President Munthalika to China’s offering of projects to Malawi.
So, with such applauding and pressure from the country’s readership, one could not expect such projects to be screened and scoped before commencement which it is true reflection on negligence at its best towards the management of the environment and natural resources.
“Honestly, as a legal body on issues to do with EIAs, we provide proper advice on how best the prescribed projects should undergo EIA process. But, guidance isn’t heeding to due to political reasons our leaders endeavour”, alludes Allan Kaziputa, a Senior Environmental Officer in Environmental Affairs Department (EAD).
Nevertheless, hopes ranges on Nsanje In land port with the new leadership of DPP as sign of rejuvenate sense of life has been shown reading into what President Peter Munthalika assured the nation on his arrival from Zimbabwe SADC Summit recently.
“I have spoken to several heads of state within SADC on the progress of the Nsanje World Inland Port and I am happy they support the project. Even the AU, EU and World Bank have also expressed their willingness to support the construction of the port which will cut by at least 60 percent the cost of importing goods into the country”, disclosed Muthalika.
Munthalika said the project’s feasibility study is almost completed, “This is going to be the second largest-supported project in Africa and we are confident that by the end of five years, we shall be talking about something else”, assures the President.
