The Current Development Ofinstructional and Regulatory Framework for Environmental Management

The Current Development OfInstructional And Regulatory Framework For Environmental Management In Southern Sudan.

Introduction.

Until recently, the people of Southern Sudan coexisted in balance with their physical environment.Using traditional methods, they obtained their needs from the surrounding environment by consulting and use of local institution knowledge. Actions of such institutions like the rain making, hunting groups, fishing communities and others were being guided by ancestral rules. Sedentary groups for example may cultivate a piece of land consecutively for only given period of time and had to move to another new area to let the soil and vegetation rejuvenate and regenerate respectively. Therefore, environment conservation optimal utilization of resources and achievement of sustainable development are among high priority issues and challenges facing not only the Southern Sudan, but the whole world. By and large, environmental problems are no longer local, national, or regional; but transcend across political and geographical borders. In most cases they are beyond the capability and ability of individual efforts. Meaning they require international collaboration.

This paper is intended to:-

• Briefly overview and high lights the historical perspective of environmental distitational development in the South.
• Examine present institutional framework.
• Plan a process for development of GOSS Environmental policy and forward moving environmental impact and sectorial guidelines.

Before the CPA need for energy for the people of Southern Sudan were no longer satisfied , food production and collection of wood fuel from war by frusts, that affected the ecological balance .The exposure of surface soil due to annual bash, bush fire, deforestation increased soil erosion resulting into deterioration of agriculture land. Development of gullies increased siltation blocking water causing subsequently affecting aquatic vegetation and animals.

Rural urban population drift created un wanted environmental situation especially in the town. Meaning, more conflicts.

The situation as described above become and still a threat to our existence and the future prosperity for the people of Southern Sudan who also have every right to benefit from the wholesome environment. However, although they may exist government unites established earlier such as forest law , wild life and park conservation regulations, town council local orders to address environmental problems ; yet, experiences indicate that not much is expected in the near future despite the peace deal. It is because the government of southern Sudan surfers from multi socio-economic development, and political problem. Budgetary constraints and poor privatization arrangements.Others may include the bureaucratic red tape of government system.

Last but not least, lack of understanding of the consequences of our actions and expenses.

The physical Environment.

Geographically southern Sudan is located between latitude 3% 45 and 12% 31 minutes north and extend from 31% 31 minutes to 32% 00 minutes East covering an area of 676300 miles square (Lotombe 1986) thus a mounting to one third of Sudan.

The outstanding points of high altitudes are: -Juba town 460 meters, Mt Koro 744 meters and Imatongo Mountain 1930 meters above sea levels. The Nilestraddles longitudinally at South north transepts diving the country into nearly east – west half. This together with its topographic features has great influence in the regions environmental and ecological system.

Climate and vegetation

As indicated FAO/UNISCO soil map of the world volume iv 1977 “ South Sudan is generally considered to be having unreliable and eratic rainfalls with an agevege wet seasonal length of 180-200 days. Being effective around November. Four climatic reasons:

• Hot tropical.

• Semi arid tropical.

• Humid terra templata.

• Dry terra templata (Hid ore 1984)

Classification with periodic moisture pattern, wet and dry seasonality, extremevariedatmospherichumidity and soil moisture. The environment quite frequently becomes marginal or transitional to East African/Zaire rain forest to tropical desert to the North. Total average precipitation is about 970 mm per year with peak between May and August. Mean temperatures of 21.7 in Juba as compared to Yei 1300 mm/year and 21.4. However, temperatures tend to decrease south wards whereas prespitation increases.

There is almost zero water surpluses and a high deficit of 728 mm per year.

The SDIT 1951 MEFIT 1975 maps indicateSouthern Sudan falls within six ecological zones:-

• Central clay plain.

• Flood plain.

• Iron stone plateau.

• Central Hills.

• Green belt and

• Hilly and Hills slope.

Here again climate and vegetation are characterized by combination of factors like flora and fauna, Soils and biota where environmental implication are most visible.

The general and according to FAO/ UNISCO legend, the vegetation of Southern Sudan is classified as ever green, deciduous and savanna forest, it has a mixture of plant and perennial grass on mountain slopes and river courses .

PHYSIOGRAPHY AND HYDROLOGY.

Geomorphic,geologic, litho logic and hydrologic situations are like in many other aspects have limited and superficial information. However, one is tempted to say the area is influence by the White Nile and the Blue Nile basins. Ethiopian highlands and East African plateau. The Equatorial African geomorphism and the central African basement complex. The Sudd basin and inter rift valley geological regions.

Hydro logically, a part from numerous streams crossing the area,it is the white Nile with its major distributaries that are the sources of surface water, but neither fluctuation nor the volume of water discharges or used are properly recorded expect for may be on the Jonglei channel project by the investigation team 1957, whose work was limited to the area between Bor down stream.

By inference and implications ground water movement like the surface hydrology are from the Ethiopians highlands, East African plateau and the NileCongo divide pouring into the Sudd through.Saturating soil of the flood plain and keeping water table high in the highland areas. This situation however, reverses during dry season making some plants and animals surfer from aridity and subjected to wither.

Soils formations

Result from mechanicalweathering of different parent rock types. The same rock may give rise to different soils because of different environmental factors.

The factors that determine the type of soil are:

• Parent rock

• Climate

• Biological Activity

• Topography and

• Time scale.

Soil constituents are organized into horizons from profiles. Therefore although no detailed studies have been conducted through out Southern Sudan, some reconnaissance work was carried out by the Wad Medani Soil Administration and Dr. Dino Ricci (1976)and exploratory work by the department of Land use Planning, Conservation Extension and Irrigation in the Regional Ministry of Agriculture 1976, the world Bank and Norwegian church aid. These works only cover small part of the region just as Ricci’s work is limited to kondokoro in Juba District. The results are not good enough for overall District Development Planning for example, yet they are good enough for an overall and general understanding of soil formation in the area. However the field analyses do indicatethat the soils of the area are predominantly sandy, clay and red loams with reasonable amount of fertile silts (alluvial or colluvials) along the flood plain. They are ideal soils and can be more receptive to irrigation because of their good infiltration rate except the flood plain. They are very productive demanding no application of fertilizers the moment.

Applying the United States Department of Agriculture soil taxonomy (1975), South Sudan is occupied mainly by Latosols catena,with massive ironstone on the surface, underlined by a number of solid series whose sandy and clay contents change from place to another at different depths especially on west bank. In Ricci (1976), Physical analysis shows high percentage of sand and low clay content with an exchangeable rich layer at certain places. PH ranges from 6.70 – 6.95. Not good.

On the other hand, the chemical analysis points out they are somehow poor soils with low phosphorous at (o.80 – 1.35) and potassium nor good at 4%. This may indicate careful use of fertilizers in future and a well designed land management system. (LoTombe 1986). Naturally gentle elevation has reduced the erosion risk to between low and medium in the flat flood plain area.

It can be realized from soil auger pit that the soil arrangements here consist of grey top soil, red/brawn sub-soil Band both are permeable layers. The less permeable layer C towards the marshy land is predominated by vertic, flu vic and gleyic sols where as the iron stone plateau is concentrated with Ferric, gieyic and flinthic luvisols and immature dysteric regosols (LoTombe 1990). These can also be shallow soils, locally classified by Medani Soil Administration 1975 as Lado and Kafuri Series, Khors beds, the flood plain alluvial/colluvial soils.

The small extension of the east African plateau into south Sudan has very complex situation with volcanic Andosols, Humic nitosols, lithosols or Euric Combisols on the ridges, the vertisols ans solentz in the dry valleys.

Best water sheds depressions are occupied by Humic Gleysols and Euric Flucisols in dry parts (Catena1978).

THE BASIC ENVIROMENTAL PROBLEMS IN SOUTH SUDAN

In this section of the paper an attempt is being made to shade some lights on the actual and major environmental issues and problems that eventually would lead us to try to explore the historical development of environmental institutions to address these problems.

• War mull–practices; the war in the south has negatives impact on the environment. It affected vegetation and soil, destabilized population, encourage mull practices especially by the government armies then.

• Land degradation; rendering soil barren course less evaporation and climatic changes because of low rainfall, poor agricultural and fisheries production.

• Population displacement; there had been massive political and environmental displacement of the people of southSudan. According to 1983 populationcensus in Juba urban population was 85,000. But during the 1991 UN head count, it rose to 300,000 of which 215,000 were displaced. An increase of 25.3% without resource planning. “While politicians are making strenuous efforts to restore human dignity…development can proceed without harming the environment”(Agnes Poni Lokudu’s opening speech in the first environmental protection agency workshop 1993.

LAND DEGRADATION.

Due to wind and water erosion, fertile agricultural land is now left un productive.Crop yield dropped,tree debunking, uprooting and cutting became a tradition. The able groups pursued the disappearing distant forest, the weak of the poor and old; remain to uprooting the vegetations cleared earlier by the former groups.