Human rights lobby mulls taking police to courtBy Rose Mwalongo
16th November 2011EmailPrintComments
Elias JohnThe Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC) has written to Muhimbili National Hospital (MNM) requesting a medical report for Elias John (28) from Vijibweni, Dar es Salaam, who accuses the police of injecting his eyes with a liquid suspected to be acidic, leading to permanent blindness.
A legal officer at the LHRC’s Kinondoni legal aid clinic, Jeremiah Mtobesya, told The Guardian yesterday in an interview that the move had come about due to the expiration of a 90-day notice filed by the LHRC on July 17, this year.
“LHRC has already requested a medical report from the hospital before we prepare a plaint to demand compensation as indicated in the notice,” said Mtobesya.
The Guardian managed to talk to John’s brother who admitted to have received the letter, saying he had already sent it to MNH.
“I have just come from the hospital and they have told me to return tomorrow (Thursday),” he said.
On July 17, this year, the LHRC filed a 90-day notice to the government, demanding 493.4m/- compensation for John who is accusing the police of injecting a liquid suspected to be acidic into his eyes causing him permanent blindness.
The notice, a copy which was seen by The Guardian, was directed to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and copied to the Attorney General and the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs.
An advocate handling the case at the LHRC’s legal aid clinic confirmed that the legal officer had already handed over the copies to all parties and that they had all signed to confirm receiving the notice.
In the notice, John demands compensation for the psychological and physical torture which he sustained when he was in the hands of the police.
John alleges in the claim that he was arrested when he was fishing as his means of livelihood, something cannot do anymore.
He further sought compensation for medical and transport costs incurred in pursuing the case ever since he was blinded as well as for being permanently blind, the food sent to him at the time he was in prison, as well as a daily income he used to earn while fishing until an age he would have retired at 60.
In its notice, the LHRC sums up with the message: “Take notice that unless the total amount (493,423,500/-) being compensation for damages suffered by our client herein above demanded within the 90 days’ notice from the date of the service of this notice, our next step will be to institute legal proceedings for recovery of the same.”
The move has come after John sought legal assistance at the clinic claiming that on February 9, this year, police officers arrested him and six others and took him to Kilwa Road Police Station and later on to Minazini Police Station where they tied and handcuffed him before they injected his eyes with a liquid laced with acid leading to his permanent blindness.
“On February 19, last year, they took me to the Temeke District Court where I complained about the acid liquid incident but no one paid attention to me. I was taken to Keko remand prison and the following morning they took me to Temeke District Hospital for treatment,” John was quoted as saying.
He said doctors at the hospital said his eyes had been destroyed and referred him to Muhimbili National Hospital where he was admitted.
“They removed all my eyes because they were incurable and I was sent back to Keko. I was released on July 27, this year, after being found not guilty by the court,” he claims.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
www.ippmedia.com
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Monday, November 14, 2011
Urambo struggles to end child labour
Urambo struggles to end child labourBy Gerald Kitabu
13th November 2011EmailPrintCommentsThey work long hours spraying pesticides and carrying heavy loads on the farms and handle dangerous tools. The tasks affect development leading to realising their full potentialities.
They are trapped in this pitiable condition of child labour because of abject poverty of parents in Urambo District and Tabora Region as well as poor learning infrastructures.
As a result, and due to the fact that the schools in the district do not provide food, some children have gone to work on tobacco farms, hoping at least to be able to get something to eat.
“Tobacco farming is labour intensive, it requires huge man power, so in order to maximise profit, plantation owners go for cheap labour; so they ‘import’ as many young children as possible from other areas but the latter are not paid until tobacco purchasing time,” he said.
Urambo is a leading tobacco growing district in Tabora Region, which is also the biggest producer of the crop in the country. In 2008/9, it produced 16 million kilogrammes of tobacco worth Sh41 billion and the following season it produced 23 kilogrammes worth more than Sh66 billion. Estimates for 2010/11 stand at 31 kilogrammes worth Sh71 billion.
Work on tobacco farms is pulling many children away from school. Worse still the working environment is bad.
Justus Molai is the Urambo District Executive Director. In a recent exclusive interview with The Guardian on Sunday, he says they are currently struggling to rescue children employed on different plantations in the district. “For the past three years we’ve rescued about 1,600 children out of more than 3,000 and the work is still going on to make sure that child labour in tobacco farms is eradicated,” he said.
Authorities say the child labourers originate mainly from Singida and Kigoma regions. Despite working in very risky environment, they are paid very low wages or are not paid at all.
Molai says his district has embarked on sensitisation campaigns against child labour and making sure that there is good learning environment for students including school feeding programmes to keep students in schools.
For her part, Vice-President of Elimination of Child Labour in Tobacco growing areas (ECLT), which is working with local organisations in Urambo and Sikonge districts, Barbara Martellini said they have realised that at least one out of eight children involved in labour on the tobacco farms is an orphan.
ECLT is a multi-stakeholder initiative of unions, growers and companies in the tobacco sector, which work together to reduce child labour in the world.
Martellini says child labour in tobacco growing is wrong because it denies children education opportunities, learning about the world and preventing them to develop skills needed to get through life and fulfill their potentials.
She explains that ECLT has worked in Tanzania since January 2004, partnering with several non governmental organisations under ILO coordination in Urambo district on two projects, covering a total of 36 villages. “In the course of working in the districts, we have prevented hundreds of children from entering child labour… 450 families were supported to set up additional income generating activities, 27 schools and one dormitory for girls were built.
“Saving centres were created, health and sanitation structures were provided. Extension services were trained to address child labour and a monitoring system was implemented,” she explains.
Mary Kibogoya, Acting Director of the PROPER, a project supported by ECLT says from July 2011 to December 2015, her project expects to withdraw nearly 6,000 children from child labour while a further 1,800 will be prevented from entering child labour.
SOURCE: GUARDIAN ON SUNDAY
www.ippmedia.com
13th November 2011EmailPrintCommentsThey work long hours spraying pesticides and carrying heavy loads on the farms and handle dangerous tools. The tasks affect development leading to realising their full potentialities.
They are trapped in this pitiable condition of child labour because of abject poverty of parents in Urambo District and Tabora Region as well as poor learning infrastructures.
As a result, and due to the fact that the schools in the district do not provide food, some children have gone to work on tobacco farms, hoping at least to be able to get something to eat.
“Tobacco farming is labour intensive, it requires huge man power, so in order to maximise profit, plantation owners go for cheap labour; so they ‘import’ as many young children as possible from other areas but the latter are not paid until tobacco purchasing time,” he said.
Urambo is a leading tobacco growing district in Tabora Region, which is also the biggest producer of the crop in the country. In 2008/9, it produced 16 million kilogrammes of tobacco worth Sh41 billion and the following season it produced 23 kilogrammes worth more than Sh66 billion. Estimates for 2010/11 stand at 31 kilogrammes worth Sh71 billion.
Work on tobacco farms is pulling many children away from school. Worse still the working environment is bad.
Justus Molai is the Urambo District Executive Director. In a recent exclusive interview with The Guardian on Sunday, he says they are currently struggling to rescue children employed on different plantations in the district. “For the past three years we’ve rescued about 1,600 children out of more than 3,000 and the work is still going on to make sure that child labour in tobacco farms is eradicated,” he said.
Authorities say the child labourers originate mainly from Singida and Kigoma regions. Despite working in very risky environment, they are paid very low wages or are not paid at all.
Molai says his district has embarked on sensitisation campaigns against child labour and making sure that there is good learning environment for students including school feeding programmes to keep students in schools.
For her part, Vice-President of Elimination of Child Labour in Tobacco growing areas (ECLT), which is working with local organisations in Urambo and Sikonge districts, Barbara Martellini said they have realised that at least one out of eight children involved in labour on the tobacco farms is an orphan.
ECLT is a multi-stakeholder initiative of unions, growers and companies in the tobacco sector, which work together to reduce child labour in the world.
Martellini says child labour in tobacco growing is wrong because it denies children education opportunities, learning about the world and preventing them to develop skills needed to get through life and fulfill their potentials.
She explains that ECLT has worked in Tanzania since January 2004, partnering with several non governmental organisations under ILO coordination in Urambo district on two projects, covering a total of 36 villages. “In the course of working in the districts, we have prevented hundreds of children from entering child labour… 450 families were supported to set up additional income generating activities, 27 schools and one dormitory for girls were built.
“Saving centres were created, health and sanitation structures were provided. Extension services were trained to address child labour and a monitoring system was implemented,” she explains.
Mary Kibogoya, Acting Director of the PROPER, a project supported by ECLT says from July 2011 to December 2015, her project expects to withdraw nearly 6,000 children from child labour while a further 1,800 will be prevented from entering child labour.
SOURCE: GUARDIAN ON SUNDAY
www.ippmedia.com
Thursday, September 1, 2011
SOME CLARIFICATIONS ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE:
SOME CLARIFICATIONS ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE:
Recently I have received some questions from my teen daughter about climate change and what it actually means. I realized, many of us don’t really pay attention because we assume, this will happen sometime in the far future.
However, even within this year, here in Netherlands we have already experienced some interesting variations of weather patterns. Summer weather was in April this year, and currently when it is supposed to be summer, we have spring weather.
Therefore, I feel that as an expert in development and as an environmentalist, it is necessary to clarify the issue of climate change for our own sake.
Climate change refers to the change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over long periods of time (from decades to millions of years). The change may be in terms of weather conditions or change in the distribution of weather events. Eg. extreme weather or non occurrence of previous weather events. Changes may be for specific regions or globally , there are different processes that cause climate change: natural causes eg. Ocean currents, planetary movements, unnatural causes by human activities.
The atmosphere of earth planet consists of two layers namely the troposphere and the stratosphere.
The lowest layer (zone for weather and climate) is the troposphere. The higher layer –stratosphere- is the zone whereby there is high radiation energy from the sun, which reacts with oxygen forming Ozone – an important gas that forms a protection layer which shields living things from most of the sun’s harmful ultra violet rays that can also cause skin cancer.
To understand some of the mechanism of the climate system, we look at the positive and negative feedbacks.
As the sunlight hits the planet, some of the energy is reflected back. The amount of reflection (albedo) depends on the features of the earth surface. Forests and oceans have low albedos, while i.e snow covered surfaces have high albedos.
The ocean capacity to absorb and store the energy, postpones the fast increasing global warming. ‘Feedbacks can occur in a system when the interactions between it’s component processes respond to a change of conditions. The interaction can either augment the original change (positive feedback) or reduce it (negative feedback)’
Positive feedback eg.
Greenhouse gasses i.e (methane, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, ozone) emissions to the atmosphere causing an increase of global temperature leading to extreme weather changes i.e drought, damaging vegetation and reducing forest cover (absorbs CO2), adds to global warming.
Negative feedback eg.
Industrial pollution increasing sulphate aerosols (a collection of tiny liquid or solid articles dispersed in a gas, such as water droplets or dust in the atmosphere - inside or outside clouds) in the atmosphere, will have a cooling effect to the atmosphere.
Feedbacks lead to cumulative climate change eg. Oceans absorbing heat, leads to rise of sea level due to thermal expansion, the heat continues to warm the waters at deeper levels spreading wider distances i.e Artic, melting ice caps adds to the rising sea level causing multiple impacts i.e floods, death of humans, damaging heat sensitive biodiversity eg. Corals, economic loss.
Increased temperatures also leads to increased evaporation affecting the climate patterns, eg. Extreme precipitation and/or extreme droughts affecting different individual regions in different ways. Some of the impacts may have a high probability of occurring but with low hazards, and vice versa, causing changes on social variables i.e some crops/animals may not be able to survive in maximum temperatures and this will have an impact throughout the food chain.
Climate models have been used by scientists from 1979 to calculate the operational climate system while estimating the possible future climates.
However, climate science lacks the accurate recordings of past millenniums to compare with modern occurring changes thus it is difficult to know if the changes observed are a natural trend occurring over long periods of time or specific for post-industrial era.
Climate science uses sample measures eg. Rainfall measurements: ‘..even with 5 gauges, the total area over which the rain is sampled is less than one square metre’. The measurements might also be affected by wind speed/direction and/or presence of obstructions eg. Buildings.
The various stages of climate models include developing scenarios of future world population including the number, technology used, economic activities, energy uses etc. Then making projections i.e how much pollution will be caused by the population, calculate the concentration in the atmosphere, then calculating how this will influence the climate system in terms of weather elements e.g temperature, precipitation and other components including the state of the ocean, ice and vegetation cover. Lastly, climate models analyse likely impacts based on the model state of the climate system predictions.
(unfortunatelly scientific models couldn't be downloaded)
As observed, the uncertainty of climate science is based firstly on the limitation of sample data, methods of obtaining data and different interpretations made by scientists. Secondly, if even one condition within a scientific model changes eg. Energy used, positive and preventive checks and/or government policies promoting environmental sustainability, the projections made by a particular scientific model become invalid.
This is why recent projections for global temperature rise by climate models show a wide range of temperature (between 1.4 °C – 5.8 °C) over the period of 1990 to 2100.
More information can be found in the book ‘Changing environments’, Edited by Dick Morris, Joanna Freeland, Steve Hinchliffe and Sandy Smith
Recently I have received some questions from my teen daughter about climate change and what it actually means. I realized, many of us don’t really pay attention because we assume, this will happen sometime in the far future.
However, even within this year, here in Netherlands we have already experienced some interesting variations of weather patterns. Summer weather was in April this year, and currently when it is supposed to be summer, we have spring weather.
Therefore, I feel that as an expert in development and as an environmentalist, it is necessary to clarify the issue of climate change for our own sake.
Climate change refers to the change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over long periods of time (from decades to millions of years). The change may be in terms of weather conditions or change in the distribution of weather events. Eg. extreme weather or non occurrence of previous weather events. Changes may be for specific regions or globally , there are different processes that cause climate change: natural causes eg. Ocean currents, planetary movements, unnatural causes by human activities.
The atmosphere of earth planet consists of two layers namely the troposphere and the stratosphere.
The lowest layer (zone for weather and climate) is the troposphere. The higher layer –stratosphere- is the zone whereby there is high radiation energy from the sun, which reacts with oxygen forming Ozone – an important gas that forms a protection layer which shields living things from most of the sun’s harmful ultra violet rays that can also cause skin cancer.
To understand some of the mechanism of the climate system, we look at the positive and negative feedbacks.
As the sunlight hits the planet, some of the energy is reflected back. The amount of reflection (albedo) depends on the features of the earth surface. Forests and oceans have low albedos, while i.e snow covered surfaces have high albedos.
The ocean capacity to absorb and store the energy, postpones the fast increasing global warming. ‘Feedbacks can occur in a system when the interactions between it’s component processes respond to a change of conditions. The interaction can either augment the original change (positive feedback) or reduce it (negative feedback)’
Positive feedback eg.
Greenhouse gasses i.e (methane, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, ozone) emissions to the atmosphere causing an increase of global temperature leading to extreme weather changes i.e drought, damaging vegetation and reducing forest cover (absorbs CO2), adds to global warming.
Negative feedback eg.
Industrial pollution increasing sulphate aerosols (a collection of tiny liquid or solid articles dispersed in a gas, such as water droplets or dust in the atmosphere - inside or outside clouds) in the atmosphere, will have a cooling effect to the atmosphere.
Feedbacks lead to cumulative climate change eg. Oceans absorbing heat, leads to rise of sea level due to thermal expansion, the heat continues to warm the waters at deeper levels spreading wider distances i.e Artic, melting ice caps adds to the rising sea level causing multiple impacts i.e floods, death of humans, damaging heat sensitive biodiversity eg. Corals, economic loss.
Increased temperatures also leads to increased evaporation affecting the climate patterns, eg. Extreme precipitation and/or extreme droughts affecting different individual regions in different ways. Some of the impacts may have a high probability of occurring but with low hazards, and vice versa, causing changes on social variables i.e some crops/animals may not be able to survive in maximum temperatures and this will have an impact throughout the food chain.
Climate models have been used by scientists from 1979 to calculate the operational climate system while estimating the possible future climates.
However, climate science lacks the accurate recordings of past millenniums to compare with modern occurring changes thus it is difficult to know if the changes observed are a natural trend occurring over long periods of time or specific for post-industrial era.
Climate science uses sample measures eg. Rainfall measurements: ‘..even with 5 gauges, the total area over which the rain is sampled is less than one square metre’. The measurements might also be affected by wind speed/direction and/or presence of obstructions eg. Buildings.
The various stages of climate models include developing scenarios of future world population including the number, technology used, economic activities, energy uses etc. Then making projections i.e how much pollution will be caused by the population, calculate the concentration in the atmosphere, then calculating how this will influence the climate system in terms of weather elements e.g temperature, precipitation and other components including the state of the ocean, ice and vegetation cover. Lastly, climate models analyse likely impacts based on the model state of the climate system predictions.
(unfortunatelly scientific models couldn't be downloaded)
As observed, the uncertainty of climate science is based firstly on the limitation of sample data, methods of obtaining data and different interpretations made by scientists. Secondly, if even one condition within a scientific model changes eg. Energy used, positive and preventive checks and/or government policies promoting environmental sustainability, the projections made by a particular scientific model become invalid.
This is why recent projections for global temperature rise by climate models show a wide range of temperature (between 1.4 °C – 5.8 °C) over the period of 1990 to 2100.
More information can be found in the book ‘Changing environments’, Edited by Dick Morris, Joanna Freeland, Steve Hinchliffe and Sandy Smith
ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY AS A SOLUTION FOR THE ECONOMIC CRISIS
ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY AS A SOLUTION FOR THE ECONOMIC CRISIS
In this case I would like to point out that the heading implies responses that prioritizes the environment alongside social-economic consideration.
The economic crisis has gone on long enough. A number of ‘experts’ solutions have been laid on the table from USA to the smallest country. In 2008 president Obama was quoted on the American blog prompting creation of new jobs. His powerful statement expresses the frustration that is felt by Americans and many world citizens, regarding the on going economic crisis.
Ref:http://www.americablog.com/2008/12/obama-addresses-economic-crisis-with.html
I won’t waste time researching a number of solutions that have been offered by many great minded people. However I would like to add my two cents hoping that somewhere along the road when optional solutions are being considered, this might also be helpful.
Indeed as President Obama already urged, creating new jobs is one of the highest priorities. The question is how? Considering that many businesses are going down rather than rising high?
Based on this question, my answer is to use an environmental management approach.
There first obvious possibility is to develop more regions apart from the few urban cities. We see a number of cities like Shanghai, Jakarta, Mumbai that have managed to make a huge economic leap over a short period of times. However, the pollution of air, water and land associated with this rapid development have caused additional problems in terms of greenhouse gasses emissions and accelerating climate change. There is another problem associated with this scenario and that is, floods.
In general, natural floods are caused by heavy steady rainfalls that lasts for a duration of time and thus saturating the ground.
Precipitation on land is absorbed by the ground and vegetation. The ground can become saturated by excess water. On highlands, water runs off as springs into the sea/ocean. Currently the extent of precipitation absorption has been reduced e.g by urban development that includes land clearance, modern roads, buildings and hard pavements construction. Therefore, a lot of precipitation leads to excessive surface runoff that raises the water table leading to natural floods.
The nature of floods, is explained by the diagram showing the mechanisms of the hydrological cycle .
REF: http://www.google.nl/imgres?q=hydrological+cycle&um=1&hl=nl&sa=N&rlz=1R2SKPB_enNL366&biw=1280&bih=851&tbm=isch&tbnid=axkklOC-_S9THM:&imgrefurl=http://www.tiimes.ucar.edu/highlights/fy06/dai.html&docid=un5_p7JT-aKPKM&w=360&h=288&ei=Z8dfTqz4EomE-wbq49iCAg&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=266&page=1&tbnh=155&tbnw=194&start=0&ndsp=17&ved=1t:429,r:3,s:0&tx=104&ty=90
In such a case we can see why building more ‘’cities’’ might not be such a sustainable solution.
The second not so obvious solution is the one I would like to talk about.
This solution is in alignment with the three tools used for environmental management – Reduce, Re-use, Recycle. It is a response that prioritizes the environment alongside social-economic consideration.
Before diving into this solution, I would like to point out that the economic crisis is not an ‘’island’’ as a crisis. Furthermore, a lot more problems have bloomed from this crisis. The governments are faced with a large amount of citizens to support with welfare, taxes collected are less, graduates and professionals are getting more frustrated, stress resulted causing more poor health, of which insurance companies are faced with increased payments demands, social conflicts from frustrations – just to point out a few.
The biggest problem of all of course is that more and more companies are forced into bankruptcy and more people are laid off than hired, and the people who are hired have to struggle to keep their jobs by working harder and longer hours. Yet this is not bringing the crisis to an end.
My solution is, 24 hours offices. This is a solutions that is good for the environment as well as for the social-economic crisis. I will explain how.
Ozone Pollution:
The increased concentration of Ozone in the air at ground level. This Ozone pollution is caused by combination of sunlight with hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxide, two compounds produced by cars, trucks, factories, and power-generating plants, and found wherever gasoline, diesel fuel, kerosene, oil, or natural gas are combusted. In summer, Ozone pollution is higher especially during heavy traffic in large industrialized communities.
The high temperatures combined with lack of wind (due to tall buildings) can cause ground-level Ozone to reach dangerous levels for human health. Health deterioration is usually slow.
Some of the effects include:
Irritation of the respiratory system that causes coughing, throat irritation and most likely an uncomfortable sensation in the chest.
This eventually leads to:
• Reducing lung function, making it more difficult to breath as deeply or vigorously as normal.
• Aggravating asthma – in fact, ozone is one of the most common asthma triggers.
• Inflaming and damaging the cells lining the lungs, much the same way as a sunburn damages the skin cells.
• Aggravating chronic lung diseases.
• Difficulty for the lungs to fight off other potential infections.
• Potential permanent lung damage in children and adults through repeated short-term exposure.
People who are affected by Ozone may experience some of these symptoms, but some of the damages can occur without any noticeable signs and lung damage can continue even after symptoms go away.
By having 24 hours offices, this will solve a number of problems including increasing employment opportunities. But let us make this explanation into a flow chart for more clarity.
(Unfortunatelly flow chart couldn't be downloaded but can be sent per request)
With reference to the chart that couldn't be downloaded:
The explanations shows only a few of the advantages within the system boundary. A few more can be added and certainly when we look closer, a few negative points are within the system as well including social security and possible noise pollution during night hours.
However, as with any other environmental management option, an idea that solves problems in a sustainable way is worth evaluating. A costs and benefits analysis may well determine this as a possible solution, or not, or possible in combination with another option. However, we must embrace the wider issues if we are to change our futures and the futures of those who come after us.
I urge the ‘experts’ and political decision makers to expand their boundaries by identifying the deeper problems and defining sustainable solutions after sitting down to discuss the issues with experts of other fields of learning, and the community leaders.
I also urge environmentalists as myself, to take a short break from their regular work, and offer optional solutions to be considered as responses that prioritizes the environment alongside social-economic consideration.
Stella Evelyne Tesha
Green Waters Foundation
www.green-waters.org
In this case I would like to point out that the heading implies responses that prioritizes the environment alongside social-economic consideration.
The economic crisis has gone on long enough. A number of ‘experts’ solutions have been laid on the table from USA to the smallest country. In 2008 president Obama was quoted on the American blog prompting creation of new jobs. His powerful statement expresses the frustration that is felt by Americans and many world citizens, regarding the on going economic crisis.
Ref:http://www.americablog.com/2008/12/obama-addresses-economic-crisis-with.html
I won’t waste time researching a number of solutions that have been offered by many great minded people. However I would like to add my two cents hoping that somewhere along the road when optional solutions are being considered, this might also be helpful.
Indeed as President Obama already urged, creating new jobs is one of the highest priorities. The question is how? Considering that many businesses are going down rather than rising high?
Based on this question, my answer is to use an environmental management approach.
There first obvious possibility is to develop more regions apart from the few urban cities. We see a number of cities like Shanghai, Jakarta, Mumbai that have managed to make a huge economic leap over a short period of times. However, the pollution of air, water and land associated with this rapid development have caused additional problems in terms of greenhouse gasses emissions and accelerating climate change. There is another problem associated with this scenario and that is, floods.
In general, natural floods are caused by heavy steady rainfalls that lasts for a duration of time and thus saturating the ground.
Precipitation on land is absorbed by the ground and vegetation. The ground can become saturated by excess water. On highlands, water runs off as springs into the sea/ocean. Currently the extent of precipitation absorption has been reduced e.g by urban development that includes land clearance, modern roads, buildings and hard pavements construction. Therefore, a lot of precipitation leads to excessive surface runoff that raises the water table leading to natural floods.
The nature of floods, is explained by the diagram showing the mechanisms of the hydrological cycle .
REF: http://www.google.nl/imgres?q=hydrological+cycle&um=1&hl=nl&sa=N&rlz=1R2SKPB_enNL366&biw=1280&bih=851&tbm=isch&tbnid=axkklOC-_S9THM:&imgrefurl=http://www.tiimes.ucar.edu/highlights/fy06/dai.html&docid=un5_p7JT-aKPKM&w=360&h=288&ei=Z8dfTqz4EomE-wbq49iCAg&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=266&page=1&tbnh=155&tbnw=194&start=0&ndsp=17&ved=1t:429,r:3,s:0&tx=104&ty=90
In such a case we can see why building more ‘’cities’’ might not be such a sustainable solution.
The second not so obvious solution is the one I would like to talk about.
This solution is in alignment with the three tools used for environmental management – Reduce, Re-use, Recycle. It is a response that prioritizes the environment alongside social-economic consideration.
Before diving into this solution, I would like to point out that the economic crisis is not an ‘’island’’ as a crisis. Furthermore, a lot more problems have bloomed from this crisis. The governments are faced with a large amount of citizens to support with welfare, taxes collected are less, graduates and professionals are getting more frustrated, stress resulted causing more poor health, of which insurance companies are faced with increased payments demands, social conflicts from frustrations – just to point out a few.
The biggest problem of all of course is that more and more companies are forced into bankruptcy and more people are laid off than hired, and the people who are hired have to struggle to keep their jobs by working harder and longer hours. Yet this is not bringing the crisis to an end.
My solution is, 24 hours offices. This is a solutions that is good for the environment as well as for the social-economic crisis. I will explain how.
Ozone Pollution:
The increased concentration of Ozone in the air at ground level. This Ozone pollution is caused by combination of sunlight with hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxide, two compounds produced by cars, trucks, factories, and power-generating plants, and found wherever gasoline, diesel fuel, kerosene, oil, or natural gas are combusted. In summer, Ozone pollution is higher especially during heavy traffic in large industrialized communities.
The high temperatures combined with lack of wind (due to tall buildings) can cause ground-level Ozone to reach dangerous levels for human health. Health deterioration is usually slow.
Some of the effects include:
Irritation of the respiratory system that causes coughing, throat irritation and most likely an uncomfortable sensation in the chest.
This eventually leads to:
• Reducing lung function, making it more difficult to breath as deeply or vigorously as normal.
• Aggravating asthma – in fact, ozone is one of the most common asthma triggers.
• Inflaming and damaging the cells lining the lungs, much the same way as a sunburn damages the skin cells.
• Aggravating chronic lung diseases.
• Difficulty for the lungs to fight off other potential infections.
• Potential permanent lung damage in children and adults through repeated short-term exposure.
People who are affected by Ozone may experience some of these symptoms, but some of the damages can occur without any noticeable signs and lung damage can continue even after symptoms go away.
By having 24 hours offices, this will solve a number of problems including increasing employment opportunities. But let us make this explanation into a flow chart for more clarity.
(Unfortunatelly flow chart couldn't be downloaded but can be sent per request)
With reference to the chart that couldn't be downloaded:
The explanations shows only a few of the advantages within the system boundary. A few more can be added and certainly when we look closer, a few negative points are within the system as well including social security and possible noise pollution during night hours.
However, as with any other environmental management option, an idea that solves problems in a sustainable way is worth evaluating. A costs and benefits analysis may well determine this as a possible solution, or not, or possible in combination with another option. However, we must embrace the wider issues if we are to change our futures and the futures of those who come after us.
I urge the ‘experts’ and political decision makers to expand their boundaries by identifying the deeper problems and defining sustainable solutions after sitting down to discuss the issues with experts of other fields of learning, and the community leaders.
I also urge environmentalists as myself, to take a short break from their regular work, and offer optional solutions to be considered as responses that prioritizes the environment alongside social-economic consideration.
Stella Evelyne Tesha
Green Waters Foundation
www.green-waters.org
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Tanzania conservation breaking news- the corridor of destruction from coast to the lake
THE CORRIDOR OF DESTRUCTION – FROM THE COAST TO THE LAKE
A fuller picture is starting to emerge about the extent of the Tanzanian government’s plans to ‘modernize’ the country on the fast track, after looking at seemingly unrelated but upon closer review very directly related and interlinked projects.
When breaking the news a year ago about the plans to build a highway across the most sensitive part of the Serengeti, only sketchy information was available at the time about the powerful interests behind the revival of this highway project. Previously considered at least twice, it has in the past had been equally often thrown out over environmental concerns and the likely impact on the migration, feeding and reproduction patterns of the great herds of wildebeest and zebras, which in their hundreds of thousands follow an annual trek from the low grass plains between the Serengeti and Ngorongoro to the Masai Mara in Kenya and back.
From Mto Wa Mbu, and the foot of the escarpment near the Lake Manyara National Park, the proposed new route soon leaves fertile agricultural areas as the shadows of active volcano Ol Donyo Lengai loom ahead. The volcano, following a more recent outbreak, has been spewing ash across the grazing grounds of cattle and goat herds tended to by Masai herdsmen, who subsequently had to seek new grazing grounds to escape toxic fumes and the layers of ash which had covered the sparse vegetation. The proposed route conveniently links the planned, and going by a recent directive of president Kikwete, urgently needed and therefore ‘must have’ soda ash plant’s location at Lake Natron, and the expected impact on the sole breeding grounds of the East African Lesser Flamingo has been described here only recently.
Beyond the Serengeti, between the national park boundaries and Lake Victoria, a look into Tanzania’s mineral survey maps and mineral concessions either already granted or else still available for future allocation gives yet more answers. Global mining giants have put there markers down, ready to exploit the buried riches, as a gold rush seems imminent – Tanzania already is Africa’s third largest producer of the precious metal – were it not for the absence of a highway, supporting heavy vehicles and the constant movement of workers and machinery.
Gold production and processing, as is the case with other mineral extraction and refinement for export, requires road links and water, and while some of the locals who were clearly hoodwinked, and probably paid for, into ‘spontaneous enthusiasm’ have high hopes for jobs, few of them understand, probably not even their local political leaders, about the toxic fall out of such operations, and what it means to their neighbourhood environment and their already sparse water resources. Water in these often drought stricken areas is – for those living there at least – as precious as gold considering their very life depends on it as does that of their livestock. That however, going by the current political hymn sheet in use amongst Tanzania’s political leadership, does not seem of great concern and uprooting a few or even several thousand inhabitants from such areas earmarked for mining will be a small price to pay for them, to give the international mining giants a clear run without having to deal with potentially troublesome ‘locals’. Notably, a source in Arusha, attempting to establish the degree of understanding local residents and their leaders have of the potential contamination stemming from gold processing and other mining operations fallout, is also painting a grim picture, as these area residents know little about what jobs such conglomerates will bring and less about the environmental impact of such operations, leaving them with a hole in the ground and toxic waste and their lifestyle destroyed when the last ounce of something precious has been squeezed out from their underneath their native soil.
How, however, will the output and products generated from mining, the harvests of tropical tree hardwood from the extensive Eastern Arc forests – now very likely never to be accorded the recognition of UNESCO World Heritage Status after president Kikwete’s veto – be shipped to the global markets of China, India, Russia, of Europe and beyond. And the search for this answer opens an insight in to the full dimension of how planners with little if any regard to the environment, biodiversity hotspots and protected areas are riding roughshod over conservation concerns. It is here that the greater picture of the insensitive approach of the current Tanzanian leadership becomes apparent, when one links the dots of the mining and mineral exploration concessions to the planned new harbour at the coast.
Dar es Salaam is notoriously congested, some say just badly mismanaged, and while it is of course the main import and export hub of shipped goods for Tanzania, it is avoided as much as possible by the hinterland countries due to the bureaucrazy – pun intended – the red tape and the general hassles associated with shipping through the commercial capital of the country. Hence, the exploiters, processors and exporters of the newly found riches have in the past often voiced their ‘concern’ over the state of the harbour in Dar, and not unexpectedly advocated for a new sea port to be established, with its own rail and highway link, avoiding the populated areas around Dar, offering arguably greater protection for their shipments and keeping watchful eyes at a greater distance.
A new purpose built port ‘extension’ is planned for Mwambani Bay, incidentally not very far from the existing and still very underutilized port of Tanga [last year’s shipping volume touched about 650.000 tons only] and dates back to 1977 and in fact prior to that, when the East African Harbour Authority developed a study for expansion of harbours along the East African coast, including Tanga.
Yet, with the left not knowing what the right does, in 2009 the Mwambani Bay was declared a marine park, as off shore from the planned harbour site is the habitat of the Tanga Coelacanth, a CITES protected ancient deep see fish species, for which the marine park was thoughtfully created amid much fanfare and publicity. Mwambani Bay, where the new harbour extension according to sources in Dar es Salaam is to be build, is of course also the home of many fishing villages and nearby subsistence farms, feeding thousands of people. While a few may indeed find a menial jobs should the new harbour construction indeed commence at this site, most of the present thousands of residents are expected to become internally displaced, left at the mercy of the Tanzanian government and its promises to ‘resettle them and give them land elsewhere’, none of which has so far materialized for those already chased away. Detailed reports at hand at this stage portray a picture of blatant disregard for existing law, rules and regulations, there is a peanut compensation scheme for those already driven from their ancestral land and claimants being ‘jerked about’ while waiting for new land and funding to relocate, sinking into abject poverty where previously they were able to make an honest living from farming and fishing.
Other reports speak of ‘forced’ evictions, using cloak and dagger methods, intimidation and threats, all denied by official government mouthpieces but true nevertheless. The intimidation reaches even into law offices, where no law firm of repute in Tanga seems ready to represent the Mwambani people, very likely fearing repercussions and loss of future business. Human rights advocates and conservation groups are considering using law firms based in other East African countries, or from further abroad to seek justice but one source closely involved in this struggle said: ‘we do not expect justice to come in a timely fashion from Tanzania’s court system. If at all we get a fair hearing in the first place it will be delayed for ever by motions of the defendants. We are considering pushing this case to the East African Court in Arusha which is in our opinion unbiased towards the claims’.
Equally it was learned, that representation in the few ‘consultative meetings’ discussing the new harbour project did not include local residents or their chosen representatives and those actually participating were brought on board as part of a very selective and discriminatory decision, showing intent to keep things ‘under wrap and out of the public domain’ for as long as possible.
The human dimension here will be tragic for those affected, as few promises made by East African governments in regard of ‘resettlement and compensation’ have ever yielded the hoped for results, with those driven from their land under acquisition orders and vacation notices more often than not were condemned to poverty after losing the land of their ancestors. They will be a new recipient community for international donors and aid organizations, depending on long term handouts after being robbed of what was theirs by a government gone ‘development crazy’ in the most insensitive manner.
As important for conservationists however is the despoilment of a pristine marine area with critically endangered marine life, as certain to be destroyed by a constant stream of ships and resulting pollution, as is the great migration in the Serengeti once an endless train of trucks, busses and cars races across from end to end, thousands in a few years and probably a great multiple in a few decades.
Here the circle closes conclusively for the informed observer, laying bare the schemes and manipulations of the Tanzanian government to put short lived profit before conservation of what truly are world heritage assets and obstinately refusing to look at other viable options, even if for instance in the Serengeti the German government would fully fund an alternate route so as to save the Serengeti. It does appear that president Kikwete’s mind is made up, for reasons best known to him and his inner circle, and knowing fully well that his time in power will be up in 4 years, probably being the best pointer in this all to the undue haste and speed with which all these connected projects and developments are being pushed.
Conservationists in Eastern Africa have now few options left, but pursuing those with great vigour. Legal challenges are expected to be launched, both in the domestic court system but also through the East African court system thought more unbiased and fair when hearing such critical high profile cases, and conservation advocates are also procuring legal opinions from leading experts on international conventions Tanzania is signatory to and might be in breach of.
And then there is the final arrow in the arsenal of opponents, the call, should it become necessary, for a tourism if not wider boycott of Tanzania over the wanton destruction and reckless carving up of the national heritage, so cherished by founding father ‘Mwalimu’ Julius Nyerere, who with his long time friend Prof. Dr. Grzimek worked tirelessly to not only protect the Serengeti but to make the name immortal through the television series ‘Serengeti Must Not Die’.
Well, the political grandsons of Nyerere seem to think otherwise, as DIE is the most plausible and likely outcome for the Serengeti as we know it today, should a highway cut the great herds of wildebeest and zebras off from the mid- and late year grazing grounds in the Masai Mara. Expert opinion and a study by the Frankfurt Zoological Society is available that already in the short and medium term the size of the herds might be reduced by as much a 70 percent owing to food scarcity, a disrupted breeding pattern and an upset social structure of the herds.
A similar fate awaits Lake Natron’s flamingo breeding grounds, where the ‘lesser flamingo’ exclusively breeds before returning to their wide spread Eastern African breeding grounds, but again, no amount of expert advice has been heeded towards that likely outcome.
The Eastern Arc Mountains, stripped of the UNESCO World Heritage Status before it could even be awarded, are also expected to be subjected to robust and unsustainable exploitation of resources, with all the environmental fallout expected from increased logging and conversion to short lived farm land, and when the function of the mountainous forests as a crucial water tower has been damaged, no government will be able to alleviate the effect on people and their way of life.
At the coast, again displacement of people and marine life will trump conservation, if developers, global mining giants and international financiers have their way, and it can only be hoped that exposing all of this will trigger a fresh round of well argued and presented opposition to maybe still sway the powers that be from this utterly destructive course.
If not, a final hope is vested in the court of international public opinion and the courts of justice of Tanzania and East Africa, but do not hold your breath as this may be a long and protracted process while government keeps snipping away at its very best natural assets any country could wish for, trying to create irreversible facts on the ground by use of state power and its organs, to which few would dare, nor likely be able to successfully stand up against.
Watch this space:
http://wolfganghthome.wordpress.com/2011/05/01/tanzania-conservation-breaking-news-the-corridor-of-destruction-from-the-coast-to-the-lake/#comments
A fuller picture is starting to emerge about the extent of the Tanzanian government’s plans to ‘modernize’ the country on the fast track, after looking at seemingly unrelated but upon closer review very directly related and interlinked projects.
When breaking the news a year ago about the plans to build a highway across the most sensitive part of the Serengeti, only sketchy information was available at the time about the powerful interests behind the revival of this highway project. Previously considered at least twice, it has in the past had been equally often thrown out over environmental concerns and the likely impact on the migration, feeding and reproduction patterns of the great herds of wildebeest and zebras, which in their hundreds of thousands follow an annual trek from the low grass plains between the Serengeti and Ngorongoro to the Masai Mara in Kenya and back.
From Mto Wa Mbu, and the foot of the escarpment near the Lake Manyara National Park, the proposed new route soon leaves fertile agricultural areas as the shadows of active volcano Ol Donyo Lengai loom ahead. The volcano, following a more recent outbreak, has been spewing ash across the grazing grounds of cattle and goat herds tended to by Masai herdsmen, who subsequently had to seek new grazing grounds to escape toxic fumes and the layers of ash which had covered the sparse vegetation. The proposed route conveniently links the planned, and going by a recent directive of president Kikwete, urgently needed and therefore ‘must have’ soda ash plant’s location at Lake Natron, and the expected impact on the sole breeding grounds of the East African Lesser Flamingo has been described here only recently.
Beyond the Serengeti, between the national park boundaries and Lake Victoria, a look into Tanzania’s mineral survey maps and mineral concessions either already granted or else still available for future allocation gives yet more answers. Global mining giants have put there markers down, ready to exploit the buried riches, as a gold rush seems imminent – Tanzania already is Africa’s third largest producer of the precious metal – were it not for the absence of a highway, supporting heavy vehicles and the constant movement of workers and machinery.
Gold production and processing, as is the case with other mineral extraction and refinement for export, requires road links and water, and while some of the locals who were clearly hoodwinked, and probably paid for, into ‘spontaneous enthusiasm’ have high hopes for jobs, few of them understand, probably not even their local political leaders, about the toxic fall out of such operations, and what it means to their neighbourhood environment and their already sparse water resources. Water in these often drought stricken areas is – for those living there at least – as precious as gold considering their very life depends on it as does that of their livestock. That however, going by the current political hymn sheet in use amongst Tanzania’s political leadership, does not seem of great concern and uprooting a few or even several thousand inhabitants from such areas earmarked for mining will be a small price to pay for them, to give the international mining giants a clear run without having to deal with potentially troublesome ‘locals’. Notably, a source in Arusha, attempting to establish the degree of understanding local residents and their leaders have of the potential contamination stemming from gold processing and other mining operations fallout, is also painting a grim picture, as these area residents know little about what jobs such conglomerates will bring and less about the environmental impact of such operations, leaving them with a hole in the ground and toxic waste and their lifestyle destroyed when the last ounce of something precious has been squeezed out from their underneath their native soil.
How, however, will the output and products generated from mining, the harvests of tropical tree hardwood from the extensive Eastern Arc forests – now very likely never to be accorded the recognition of UNESCO World Heritage Status after president Kikwete’s veto – be shipped to the global markets of China, India, Russia, of Europe and beyond. And the search for this answer opens an insight in to the full dimension of how planners with little if any regard to the environment, biodiversity hotspots and protected areas are riding roughshod over conservation concerns. It is here that the greater picture of the insensitive approach of the current Tanzanian leadership becomes apparent, when one links the dots of the mining and mineral exploration concessions to the planned new harbour at the coast.
Dar es Salaam is notoriously congested, some say just badly mismanaged, and while it is of course the main import and export hub of shipped goods for Tanzania, it is avoided as much as possible by the hinterland countries due to the bureaucrazy – pun intended – the red tape and the general hassles associated with shipping through the commercial capital of the country. Hence, the exploiters, processors and exporters of the newly found riches have in the past often voiced their ‘concern’ over the state of the harbour in Dar, and not unexpectedly advocated for a new sea port to be established, with its own rail and highway link, avoiding the populated areas around Dar, offering arguably greater protection for their shipments and keeping watchful eyes at a greater distance.
A new purpose built port ‘extension’ is planned for Mwambani Bay, incidentally not very far from the existing and still very underutilized port of Tanga [last year’s shipping volume touched about 650.000 tons only] and dates back to 1977 and in fact prior to that, when the East African Harbour Authority developed a study for expansion of harbours along the East African coast, including Tanga.
Yet, with the left not knowing what the right does, in 2009 the Mwambani Bay was declared a marine park, as off shore from the planned harbour site is the habitat of the Tanga Coelacanth, a CITES protected ancient deep see fish species, for which the marine park was thoughtfully created amid much fanfare and publicity. Mwambani Bay, where the new harbour extension according to sources in Dar es Salaam is to be build, is of course also the home of many fishing villages and nearby subsistence farms, feeding thousands of people. While a few may indeed find a menial jobs should the new harbour construction indeed commence at this site, most of the present thousands of residents are expected to become internally displaced, left at the mercy of the Tanzanian government and its promises to ‘resettle them and give them land elsewhere’, none of which has so far materialized for those already chased away. Detailed reports at hand at this stage portray a picture of blatant disregard for existing law, rules and regulations, there is a peanut compensation scheme for those already driven from their ancestral land and claimants being ‘jerked about’ while waiting for new land and funding to relocate, sinking into abject poverty where previously they were able to make an honest living from farming and fishing.
Other reports speak of ‘forced’ evictions, using cloak and dagger methods, intimidation and threats, all denied by official government mouthpieces but true nevertheless. The intimidation reaches even into law offices, where no law firm of repute in Tanga seems ready to represent the Mwambani people, very likely fearing repercussions and loss of future business. Human rights advocates and conservation groups are considering using law firms based in other East African countries, or from further abroad to seek justice but one source closely involved in this struggle said: ‘we do not expect justice to come in a timely fashion from Tanzania’s court system. If at all we get a fair hearing in the first place it will be delayed for ever by motions of the defendants. We are considering pushing this case to the East African Court in Arusha which is in our opinion unbiased towards the claims’.
Equally it was learned, that representation in the few ‘consultative meetings’ discussing the new harbour project did not include local residents or their chosen representatives and those actually participating were brought on board as part of a very selective and discriminatory decision, showing intent to keep things ‘under wrap and out of the public domain’ for as long as possible.
The human dimension here will be tragic for those affected, as few promises made by East African governments in regard of ‘resettlement and compensation’ have ever yielded the hoped for results, with those driven from their land under acquisition orders and vacation notices more often than not were condemned to poverty after losing the land of their ancestors. They will be a new recipient community for international donors and aid organizations, depending on long term handouts after being robbed of what was theirs by a government gone ‘development crazy’ in the most insensitive manner.
As important for conservationists however is the despoilment of a pristine marine area with critically endangered marine life, as certain to be destroyed by a constant stream of ships and resulting pollution, as is the great migration in the Serengeti once an endless train of trucks, busses and cars races across from end to end, thousands in a few years and probably a great multiple in a few decades.
Here the circle closes conclusively for the informed observer, laying bare the schemes and manipulations of the Tanzanian government to put short lived profit before conservation of what truly are world heritage assets and obstinately refusing to look at other viable options, even if for instance in the Serengeti the German government would fully fund an alternate route so as to save the Serengeti. It does appear that president Kikwete’s mind is made up, for reasons best known to him and his inner circle, and knowing fully well that his time in power will be up in 4 years, probably being the best pointer in this all to the undue haste and speed with which all these connected projects and developments are being pushed.
Conservationists in Eastern Africa have now few options left, but pursuing those with great vigour. Legal challenges are expected to be launched, both in the domestic court system but also through the East African court system thought more unbiased and fair when hearing such critical high profile cases, and conservation advocates are also procuring legal opinions from leading experts on international conventions Tanzania is signatory to and might be in breach of.
And then there is the final arrow in the arsenal of opponents, the call, should it become necessary, for a tourism if not wider boycott of Tanzania over the wanton destruction and reckless carving up of the national heritage, so cherished by founding father ‘Mwalimu’ Julius Nyerere, who with his long time friend Prof. Dr. Grzimek worked tirelessly to not only protect the Serengeti but to make the name immortal through the television series ‘Serengeti Must Not Die’.
Well, the political grandsons of Nyerere seem to think otherwise, as DIE is the most plausible and likely outcome for the Serengeti as we know it today, should a highway cut the great herds of wildebeest and zebras off from the mid- and late year grazing grounds in the Masai Mara. Expert opinion and a study by the Frankfurt Zoological Society is available that already in the short and medium term the size of the herds might be reduced by as much a 70 percent owing to food scarcity, a disrupted breeding pattern and an upset social structure of the herds.
A similar fate awaits Lake Natron’s flamingo breeding grounds, where the ‘lesser flamingo’ exclusively breeds before returning to their wide spread Eastern African breeding grounds, but again, no amount of expert advice has been heeded towards that likely outcome.
The Eastern Arc Mountains, stripped of the UNESCO World Heritage Status before it could even be awarded, are also expected to be subjected to robust and unsustainable exploitation of resources, with all the environmental fallout expected from increased logging and conversion to short lived farm land, and when the function of the mountainous forests as a crucial water tower has been damaged, no government will be able to alleviate the effect on people and their way of life.
At the coast, again displacement of people and marine life will trump conservation, if developers, global mining giants and international financiers have their way, and it can only be hoped that exposing all of this will trigger a fresh round of well argued and presented opposition to maybe still sway the powers that be from this utterly destructive course.
If not, a final hope is vested in the court of international public opinion and the courts of justice of Tanzania and East Africa, but do not hold your breath as this may be a long and protracted process while government keeps snipping away at its very best natural assets any country could wish for, trying to create irreversible facts on the ground by use of state power and its organs, to which few would dare, nor likely be able to successfully stand up against.
Watch this space:
http://wolfganghthome.wordpress.com/2011/05/01/tanzania-conservation-breaking-news-the-corridor-of-destruction-from-the-coast-to-the-lake/#comments
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
