Environmental Problems in Mali

Mali is a landlocked country located in Northwestern Africa. More than half of Mali is located in the Sahara Desert. Because of its location, the country’s climate is said to be unpredictable: years of abundant rainfall and years of extreme drought (United Nations, 2006).

Mali relies on two major rivers as water source namely: the Niger River and the Senegal River. However, the capacity of these two rivers has not been fully harnessed and thus has not contributed very significantly to its economic development.Over the past decade, Mali’s economic growth has also been sluggish due to the combined elements of drought, demographic growth, progressive desertification and insect attacks that have created a downward spiral of soil erosion, decreasing agricultural productivity, increasing impoverishment of the population, decapitalization through the loss of cattle, and pressure to migrate to the capital city and abroad (United Nations Capital Development Fund, 2006).The United Nations’ World Water Development Report (WWDR) noted that Mali’s main environmental challenge is the continual degradation of natural resources and the environment as a whole (United Nations, 2006). Many of these environmental issues have escalated into problematic scales as these continue to hinder economic growth which beset the country and therefore are in need of resolute and sustainable answers.

From a quick survey of the environmental situation confronting Mali today, two environmental problems that impact on Mali are discussed in this paper.Root Causes of Mali’s Environmental Problems Water Pollution Water shortages combined with water pollution puts forth a formula for the increasing concern over the quantity and quality of water available to the people of Mali. Water-related diseases, such as cholera, diarrhea and the guinea worm disease, represent more than 80 percent of all illnesses in Mali (United Nations, 2006). This concern covers both rural and urban areas. The rapid increase in Mali population has likewise caused a dramatic increase in water demand.

However, due to poor water infrastructure, the scope of the problem extends to access to safe water. Many of Mali’s water problems can be characterized as problems of access, largely provoked by an uneven temporal and geographical distribution of water combined with an under-exploitation of available water resources (United Nations, 2006). Although much water infrastructure work has been implemented more recently, “the disorderly development of housing settlements has influenced the availability of water infrastructure in urban areas over the last two decades (United Nations, 2006).The lack of appropriate waste treatment facilities further aggravates the mounting problem of water pollution.

Wildlife Extinction Mali also faces a widening desertification and deforestation of its land. Desertification is a result of environmental problems such as deforestation and soil erosion (World Infozone, 2007). “Population growth, increasing desertification, soil degradation, intense firewood and charcoal production” (United Nations, 2006) have all dovetailed to a rapid rate in wildlife extinction.Natural habitats of plant and animal species have been considerably diminished.

Mali households are still primarily dependent on firewood as their main source of energy. The dependence on firewood is one of the main causes of deforestation, which contributes to the process of desertification in fragile environmental zones (United Nations, 2006). Strategies for a More Sustainable Future A number of strategies may be presently observed as concrete measures to lessen the negative impact of the pervading environmental concerns in Mali:Formulation of a National Environmental Policy with support from local governments and subordinate authorities The Malian Government is aware of the country’s environmental problems and has been working on the national level since the beginning of the 1990s on the implementation of some 30 international environmental agreements to which it has subscribed (German Technical Cooperation [GTZ], 2004). After the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, legislative and regulatory measures were set up as guidelines for the protection of water resources in Mali.

Furthermore, a National Environmental Action Plan was passed in 1998 which was to be supported by the drafting of the Malian Environmental Report. This report aims to harmonize the development projects being implemented in Mali with the main stipulations of the National Environmental Policy. It also emphasizes the role of local governments and other subordinate authorities in the implementation of the national environmental policy especially in the coordination and networking among the various sectors.However, there have been institutional and technical problems at the implementation level of this National Environmental Policy.

Local governments and other concerned bodies appear to have shown less involvement in developing such a report and barely view environment as a “cross-sectoral” concern. From this end, it is quite obvious that there is much work to be done in rallying support from local governments and other concerned bodies to act in a concerted manner in addressing environmental issues and concerns.Shared Water Management Through the Water Resources Development Framework, Mali focuses on decentralizing water and sanitation administrative bodies between the central government and local communities involving a multitude of government agencies in water resource management (United Nations, 2006). While certain responsibilities for the water sector remain at the national level, some responsibilities have also been turned over to the communal councils of water management and infrastructure maintenance.In addition, the private sector and community level also have significant roles to play in water management through a river-basin/watershed approach to management. This approach makes use of an integrated water resource management to address specific water-related issues and in the development of future sustainable water projects.

In consonance, two basin organizations in Mali have taken part in this undertaking. This level of participation serves to balance the national efforts and guarantees that significant provisions of the National Environmental Policy are consistently implemented.Environmental Education and Marketing One of the international non-government organizations (NGOs) in Mali, which has offered its assistance to respond to the environmental concerns of Mali, is the German Technical Cooperation or GTZ. GTZ has expressed support to Mali’s environmental policy through its assistance in capacity building and organizational development at the national level and developing competencies as well in the regional administrative bodies especially in the area of protection of natural resources and waste disposal.By publishing an environmental magazine and through other high-profile media activity, the project has contributed measurably to stimulating public discussion of environmental problems and to greater public awareness of the necessity for sustainable environmental management (GTZ, 2007). The project also gained momentum as it “raised the performance capacity of NGOs active in environmental causes by targeting them specifically for promotion (GTZ, 2007).

This project is only one among the many prospective joint development undertakings between Mali and international development donors.This basic and critical environmental education more importantly targets long-term attitudinal change in Malians because the move to do something for their environment starts with individual, organizational, and institutional changes in perceptions and knowledge and the planning for positive change towards a sustainable future. Confronting the Same Issues Mali is not the lone country in the world facing environmental challenges. Also, more and more countries are confronted with similar water and other natural resource degradation and are making their local efforts work alongside the assistance of international donors.To cite an example, another region that has attempted to overcome these same issues is the group of Pacific island countries.

Pacific Island Countries The fragile resources of the Pacific island countries which include Vanuatu, Tonga, Cook Islands and Palau have been currently considered by environmental specialists as under threat from factors such as population increases, urbanization, and tourism. The Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) is partnering with communities in these Pacific island countries.AusAID is working with SOPAC, a Pacific-owned technical organization, and the World Health Organization (WHO) to help maintain safe water supplies and raise health standards. Together, they are “developing ‘Water Safety Plans’ which aims to improve the quality of water in the Pacific and make it safer to drink (Australian Agency for International Development [AusAID], 2007).

” The Water Safety Plans include details on how to store water, more efficient distribution to households, and water treatment possibilities such as recycling.Various tiers of cooperation are seen in this venture namely: the AusAID supporting close cooperation between SOPAC and WHO at a strategic level; the Pacific island countries sharing their experiences at the regional level; government officials, the private sector and non-government organizations realizing they must coordinate responsibility for water delivery at a national level, and communities working together to protect and maintain their own water systems at the local level.Pilot projects establishing the water safety plans are underway in Vanuatu, Tonga, Cook Islands, and Palau (AusAID, 2007). The case of the Pacific island countries demonstrates the importance of strategic partnerships at various levels in order to address the environmental problems and find sustainable solutions thereof.