Effective implementation of laws on environment protection stressed

Kathmandu, Nov.20, 2008, Published in Rising Nepal National Daily Newspaper.

Even after decades of adoption of the Principle 10 of the 1992 Rio Declaration, the government has generated, collected and disseminated very little information on environment to the public at a regular interval, a study revealed.

However, quite a number of legal instruments to be supporting access to information, public participation and access to justice exist, said the report. The problem is there are conflicts regarding the implementation of the declaration.

“Efforts are found to be made by the concerned government agencies but it is not up to the required scale to realize full implementation of Point 10 of the Rio de Janeiro Conference on Environment and Development, 1992,” said the report.

Narrating the report, Ram Charitra Sah, project coordinator of The Access Initiative (TAI) Nepal, Forum for Protection of Public Interest (Pro Public), said to The Rising Nepal that the effectiveness of the implementation varies with the cases from highly effective in case of air pollution monitoring whereas not effective at all in environment inspector recruitment.

“The government did not recruit the environment inspector even after the recommendation to recruit environment inspector,” he added.

Referring to the Rio Declaration he said that the environmental issues were best handled with the participation of all concerned citizens, at the relevant level. He further said that the appropriate access to information concerning the environment that was held by public authorities, including information on hazardous materials and activities in their communities, and the opportunity to participate in decision making process should be made by the government.

He said that the government should facilitate and encourage public awareness and participation by making information widely available effectively accessing to judicial and administrative proceedings, including redress and remedy.

Sah said that the government should effectively implement the laws, regulation, standards making a regular monitoring mechanism.

Stating the lack of skilled human resource in the concerned organization, he said that the capacity building was required at all level for National Government, Sub-National Government, Public, Community Based Organisations, Non Government Organisations, media on the environment issues.

The Access Initiative Asia Regional Meeting is going to be held from November 20-21 in Bangkok. The purpose of the meeting will be to update TAI partners in Asia on the status and successes of TAI thus far; to promote regional advocacy; to develop strategies for expansion and further engagement of governments; and to share success stories and presentations within the network.

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