Zimbabwe has over the years made efforts to ensure that environmental impact assessment is taken seriously as part of efforts to combat the global scourge of climate change as evidenced by frameworks such as the Environmental Impact Assessment Policy of 1994.
As such, the country has incorporated Rio Declaration number 17 regarding Environmental Impact Assessment (EIAs) by way of section 97 of the Environmental Management Act.
The Rio Declaration principle 17 posits that as a national instrument, EIA shall be undertaken for activities that are likely to bring about significant harmful impact on the environment, and are subject to a decision of a competent national authority.
Such a blueprint is thus a critical ingredient in ensuring that sound adaptation and mitigation measures are put in place in anticipation of possible climate-induced occurrences such as floods, droughts, and heatwaves resulting from activities that a particular organisation would be pursuing in a particular area. Such activities could range from mining to agriculture and construction.
As defined by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), EIA refers to a tool used to identify the environmental, social, and economic impacts of a project prior to decision-making.
The EIA process therefore includes negotiations concerning procedural logistics that occur between project developers, regulatory authorities, and communities of areas affected. Public involvement in the process, therefore, grants the project a social licence over and above the EIA licence that is granted by regulatory authorities.
There is thus a critical need to ensure rapport among these stakeholders to ensure negative repercussions are thwarted.
Environmental sustainability issues which have over time been taken rather lightly in the developing world, Zimbabwe included, could actually be better understood through the public participation process.
The positives that could be derived from such include, an improvement in decision-making on environmental matters, while also giving rise to the legitimacy of environmental decisions achieved through consensus.
Public involvement in impact assessment brings many benefits in Zimbabwe such as sharing of localised knowledge and values between involved communities and project authorities. Such will undoubtedly result in atomistic and effective impact assessment results. Dialogue also cultivates amicable conflict resolution mechanisms. Social justice and equity are also likely to be realised among stakeholders because of a platform for all to be heard as equals in matters that affect their livelihoods.
Impact assessments that involve stakeholder engagement bring to the fore those who may be affected by the proposed action or decision, hence by considering their input and addressing concerns raised, we can ensure that decisions taken will subsequently be more inclusive, transparent, and equitable.
In Zimbabwe, at law, any project that is prescribed in the first schedule of the Environmental Management Act (20:27) should first undergo the process of EIA before implementation can be done.
The Act provides a list of all prescribed projects that should first undergo an EIA since their implementation poses serious environmental harm.
These projects include those that convert forest land to other uses, housing developments, mining and petroleum production, to mention but a few.
As it stands currently, the EIA process in Zimbabwe has come under scrutiny as it is largely viewed by critics as exclusive, since communities are left out in the process.
According to a recent Konrad Adenauer Stiftung report that examined how adequate public participation in the EIA process in Zimbabwe is, the process has been described by some sectors as a major impediment to development at a time when ‘Zimbabwe is open for business.’
Communities end up feeling short-changed as they do not benefit from projects being undertaken within their areas, directly or indirectly while they bear the brunt of such activities as massive land degradation for example.
Mining activities, cause massive land degradation that leaves a lot of landfills wantonly. As such, these are harmful to the environment and can cause and accelerate climate change.
These negative repercussions include reducing the value of surrounding areas, altering fauna and soil and water contamination.
Blessing V. Bonga is a journalist based in Harare. He is the Founder of Beaver Media Co. (Pvt) Ltd and Managing Editor of its subsidiary, EnviroZim News. He is passionate about environmental sustainability issues ands climate change. He writes in his personal capacity. Feedback +263 772 908937 Email: bvbonga@envirozim.com
