Environmental issues affecting relief efforts in Darfur - report

The lack of attention for environmental and natural resource issues is undermining the effectiveness of the relief efforts in camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the western Sudanese region of Darfur, a UN rapid-environmental assessment found. The assessment, published on 11 November, investigated the links between the Darfur crisis and natural resource issues in order to incorporate environmental consideration into humanitarian response and rehabilitation efforts. The report found that environmental problems, including water and waste management issues, have emerged in some camps. Poorly drained wastewater, for example, created pools of stagnant water that could contribute to the spread of disease. "Although clear standards exist for sustainable water use and sanitation provisions, these guidelines were not always applied, even when solutions were known," Charles Kelly, the lead researcher, told IRIN on Thursday. "People are overstretched in their time, [and] they simply have no time, staff, or resources for these second-tier issues." Another key environmental problem was the environmental degradation occurring around IDP camps. Many IDPs were destitute when they arrived in the camps and were dependent on relief assistance. As emergency aid does not cover all needs, IDPs were forced to venture out of the camp to look for natural resources such as water, grass and wood to meet their basic needs. "This doesn’t just lead to soil erosion and deforestation around the camps; it also put the IDPs in danger of violent attacks," Kelly explained. The report noted that since competition over land and water between sedentary farmers and nomadic tribes had long been a part of Darfur's history, the influx of large IDP populations into a fragile natural environment could potentially lead to increased tensions with the host community and, ultimately, a return to violence. An increased level of relief assistance, currently meeting between 40 and 54 percent of overall minimum IDP needs, would reduce the dependency of the IDP population on natural resources outside the camp, the report recommended. "The promotion of fuel-efficient stoves, composting, and sustainable gardening are other positive measures that would reduce IDP’s dependency on natural resources and improve their safety," Kelly added. The assessment was conducted at the Kalma, Otash and Bajoum IDP camps, near the town of Nyala in southern Darfur, from 10 September until 3 October. The findings were published by the Joint Environment Unit of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The war in Darfur pits Sudanese government troops and militias allegedly allied to the government against rebels fighting to end what they have called marginalisation and discrimination of the region's inhabitants by the state. The conflict has displaced an estimated 1.45 million people and sent another 200,000 fleeing across the border into Chad.