The Swaziland Environment Action Plan (SEAP)

RECOMMENDED POLICY AND STRATEGY FRAMEWORK

1.10 RURAL SETTLEMENT, ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND INFRASTRUCTURE

This policy is to provide practical directions towards implementation of the policies of levels one and two above in rural settlement, environmental health and infrastructural development.

ISSUES SUMMARY

General/settlement

General rural living standards not satisfactory due to poor housing and inadequate electricity, water, telephone, road and public transport connections.
Present scattered rural settlement pattern not conducive to efficient provision of services and facilities.
Disruption by power lines of rural and ecological patterns; destruction of vegetation and fauna causing erosion and land degradation.
Severe environmental health problems due to contaminated water.
Lack of understanding by communities of relationship between health problems and pollution.
Lack of community participation and health facilities coordination in environmental health control, prevention and service delivery.

Roads/transport

Severe erosion caused by road construction.
Borrow pits for road construction material not rehabilitated.
Loss of indigenous vegetation in zone along newly constructed roads.
Lack of environmental guidelines for railways exploitation.
EIA not pursued in road construction.

SUMMARY POLICY PROPOSALS

Status of Policy

No official policies available. Draft policy elements appear in various documents, such as NPDP, Maguga resettlement policy, and the draft Agricultural Land Use Policy.

Broad Overall Objectives

To provide acceptable settlement and environmental health conditions through increased environmental management in conjunction with enhanced production opportunities, leading to improved rural livelihood and living conditions.
To promote and support rural development through expanded provision of infrastructural facilities and improvement of transport linkages.

Policy Principles

Planning for settlement and infrastructure be integrated in overall land use planning and environmental management.
Settlement and infrastructure be planned with minimal disruption of existing rural and ecological patterns, and maximum safety measures.
People and communities affected by development projects be compensated in such way that their livelihood and living conditions remain at least equal.

Policy Practical Elements

Settlement and resettlement be linked with provision of opportunities for improved production systems and increased income.
Environmental and human mitigation measures be included as integral part in development and resettlement programmes, with compensation arrangements for affected people and communities.
Environmental health care delivery and information be focused on communities.
Rural settlement be planned with integrated provisions for safe water delivery, proper sanitation and waste disposal.
Environmental conditions be monitored in settlement areas.
Rural supply systems be designed with maximum input by communities in operation and maintenance.
Roads and other infrastructural improvement be planned and executed with maximum economic and employment opportunities and access to services and facilities for communities.
Provision of electricity to rural areas be expanded and reliability be improved.
Telecommunication services be extended and intensified.

Policy Supportive Elements

Legal frameworks for settlement, environmental health conditions and infrastructure be reviewed, updated and enforced.
Information and education systems in rural development be improved and made accessible to communities.
Institutional improvements of roads department to improve capability in planning and maintenance of the roads network.
The environmental evaluation capacity of the roads department be strengthened.

SUMMARY STRATEGY PROPOSALS

Rural development needs a better coordination and planning of settlement, including resettlement, environmental health conditions and infrastructural improvements. Comprehensive strategy guidelines need be developed, especially for sensitive interventions such as resettlement, with special attention to migitating the negative effects of displacement. Detailed procedures and compensation arrangements are dealt with in specific action plans.

Considering the higher level rural strategy with respect to settlement, i.e. planning towards a more concentrated form of rural settlement, it is essential to improve the coordination of government and NGO's with the CRDB.

Overall environmental health strategy is already outlined at national level .

Settlement and environmental health care strategy

To inform, consult and involve all affected parties in resettlement programmes, in particular in decision making, preparation, implementation and monitoring.
To introduce concentrated settlement patterns in order to provide better facilities.
To monitor progress of settlement and resettlement programmes and evaluate their impact.
To give special attention in resettlement programmes to vulnerable groups, and to minimize social disruption by offering options in nearby locations.
To increase the effectiveness of environmental health programmes for communities through better coordination of all involved parties and services (government, private, NGO's, communities).
To emphasize environmental management in settlement planning and implementation.
To promote educational programmes pointing out the dangers of pollution and improper waste disposal.
To recruit and train environmental monitoring officers operating from existing rural centres.

Infrastructure improvement strategy

To use environmentally friendly methods of construction of roads, connections of water, electricity, telephone, etc.
To make all planning and construction of infrastructure subject to EIA.
To increase road and other infrastructure related safety by including all the necessary provisions, such as fencing, warnings, pedestrian safeways, etc in the planning and execution of projects.
To minimize the effects of road construction on the loss of indigenous vegetation and fauna through careful planning of the road alignment.
To minimize the impact of borrow pits by selecting the least harmful locations and by rehabilitation of the pits with the original soil and vegetation.
To reduce the risk of soil erosion along the road by constructing adequate drainage provisions and rehabilitation of the damaged strips along the road.
To create in RD the post of environmental evaluation officer to advise, appraise and review in all environmental matters related to road planning and construction.

KEY REFERENCE MATERIAL

World Bank 1990. Operational Directive 4.30: Involuntary Resettlement.

MINISTERIAL INVOLVEMENT

MHUD, MNRE, MOAC, MPWT, MPSI, MHSW.