EES Government Issues Crucial Provisional Orders In accordance with the 2008 Interim of Eastern Equatoria State, article 87 (1), the Governor of EES through Housing and Public Utilities Ministry has issued crucial provisional orders on Water, Environmental Sanitation; Hygiene Promotion 2011 and Land and Public Utilities Tax 2011. 18 May 2011 EES Government Issues Crucial Provisional Orders (Centre) EES Governor presenting a policy statement in the past at EESLA with other officials [©Gurt
By Peter Lokale Nakimangole TORIT, 17th May 2011 [Gurtong] – In accordance with the 2008 Interim of Eastern Equatoria State, article 87 (1), the Governor of EES through Housing and Public Utilities Ministry has issued crucial provisional orders on Water, Environmental Sanitation; Hygiene Promotion 2011 and Land and Public Utilities Tax 2011. The two orders issued by the Governor two weeks ago finally saw the light after undergoing a number of stages and procedures after first being developed under the expertise of the Housing and Public Utilities Ministry, then through the Minister of Housing, submitted to the council of State Ministers for review and approval. The orders were then submitted to the State office of Legal Administration for confirmation, elaborated Mark Akio, Eastern Equatoria State Minister for Housing and Public Utilities who presented the scheme earlier to the Council of Ministers before its declaration. The minister explained that generally, the Ministry of Housing and Public Utilities provides public utilities which still categorically varies, whereas the Provisional Order on Water, Environmental Sanitation & Hygiene Promotion 2011 specifically deals with preservation of human surroundings while Land & Public Utilities Tax exclusively deals on land usage and provision of utilities to the public accordingly. The Minister further clarified that the major aim of the Provisional Order on Water, Environmental Sanitation & Hygiene Promotion 2011 is to ensure every person and community in Eastern Equatoria State shall have the right to clean and healthy environment as guaranteed in Article 42 (1) of the Interim Constitution of Eastern Equatoria State 2008. The lengthy document states that Eastern Equatoria State has an estimated area of 85,250 Square Kilometres. It has a growing population that shall trigger increase in sanitation problems and challenges especially in urban areas. Sustainable Environmental Sanitation is essential for good health of the population living in the State. Before the new order was issued out, water in the State had been provided free of charge. However, in this order, services such as water & sanitation, electricity that are provided by the Ministry to both Public and Private Institutions and individual, land tax and Public Utilities tax orders shall now be paid for at affordable rates to ensure sustainability and continuity, Akio clarified. Poor sanitation facilitates the spread of water related diseases such as gastro enteritis, diarrhoea, cholera, dysentery, typhoid and other water related diseases. Poor sanitation shall be avoided and diseases eradicated through better environmental sanitation system. Ensuring the maintenance of a clean environment and provision of sanitation services to citizens is one of the primary responsibilities of the State Government. However, maintaining and promoting Environmental Hygiene and Sustainable Sanitation System and Standards shall be shared responsibility by both the Government and the citizens. Proper waste disposal and acceptable hygiene practices are a “Collective Responsibility”. Increase in business activities associated with increase in environmental pollution and waste disposal and management shall be regulated by law. Prevention of solid waste carried by rainwater (runoff) during rainy seasons contaminating water sources shall be the responsibility of every citizen living in Eastern Equatoria State. Implementation guidelines for the provisional orders The new provisional orders states that disposal of solid waste, human and animal wastes, polythene and plastic materials that contribute considerably to poor sanitation around public and private institutions, in the neighbourhoods and market places in the State shall be a shared responsibility by those public and private institutions, individual(s) resident in the neighbourhoods and businesspersons operating in those locations. It continues to state that the County authorities and the residents of main towns shall ensure that stagnant water in the streets shall be drained, plastic water bottles, soda cans, polythene bags; broken glasses shall be disposed out in a manner that shall not contaminate or pollute the environment. This is done through the County authorities who shall designate land fields or points designed and built for disposal of garbage from the towns and to ensure that such garbage is burnt on daily basis Also, the County authorities shall, in each town of the Counties, form a Water Sanitation, Hygiene Promotion and Town Cleaning Task Force and deploy labour force and garbage collection trucks for the town cleanup and disposal of waste. The Ministry of Housing and Public Utilities in collaboration with State Ministry of Health and County authorities shall carry out community awareness activities on Sanitation Programs through public meetings and discussions, media; radio, TV, Newspapers, and printed materials. The formation of a Water Sanitation and Hygiene Promotion Task Force in all the main towns of the State shall include the communities and the business community in that specific town. There shall be Public health awareness program to the Counties, which includes digging of Pit to every house hold for disposal of garbage that shall be burnt routinely of daily bases. Every plot in the State shall have a pit-latrine for human waste and such pit-latrine shall have an inner lining built in such a manner that shall not allow contamination on underground water. Adherently, every household shall create a water drainage system behind his/her fence and shall clean garbage and grass that growths two meters into the road from behind the fence of his/her compound, the provisional order states. Citizens owning land along the rivers shall maintain their piece of land along the rivers clean from wild grass and shall not allow such piece of land to become a dumping ground for human or solid waste. Such land shall be used for agricultural production. And every plot in the residential area in the main towns that is not built or unoccupied in the State or piece of land along the river bank not cultivated shall be maintained and cleaned by landlord/landlady so that such land do not serve as damping ground for human and solid waste. Owners of such plots shall be fined 200 SDG should their plots become a dumping ground for waste. All NGOs (Non Governmental organization) currently implementing sanitation programs In Eastern Equatorial State, shall work in partnership with State Ministry of Housing and Public Utilities, State Ministry of Health and County authorities in the construction of pit latrines, waste disposal and management, Health education and personal hygiene, awareness creation through massive sensitization programs, workshops, dramas, media in some areas and Health Education messages. Qualified professionals in the field of environmental science and public health shall manage environmental management and sanitation. The State and County authorities shall enforce this provisional order by law. Posted in: Home, Governance -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "JFD info" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/jfdinfo?hl=en.
