Hassan Istiila
Sunday February 25, 2024
Mogadishu (HOL ) - Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud enacted the Environmental Protection and Management Law on Sunday, which was previously approved by the federal parliament's Lower and Upper Houses.
The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change of the Federal Government of Somalia prepared the law to conserve and manage the environment. After the President's signing, Minister of Environment Khadija Mohamed Al Makhzoumi emphasized that the law protects the environment and its natural surroundings.
"This legislation is crucial in our commitment to safeguarding our natural surroundings and promoting sustainable development. Let's work together to protect our environment for future generations," Minister Khadija said on her platform.
The Act provides for sustainable environmental protection and management, effectively allocating administrative responsibilities for environmental management and coordinating ecological management and related activities.
The recent El Niño rains have affected more than 2.5 million people in Somalia, leading to the displacement of 1.2 million people from their homes and causing 118 deaths. Now, a total of 2,943 new cholera cases and 26 deaths have been reported in Somalia since January 2024 as cases surge following intense flooding caused by El Nino rains in late 2023, according to the Ministry of Health.
Somalia is one of the countries hardest hit by climate change. Environmental crimes, lack of effective laws protecting the environment, deforestation, and toxic dumping along the Somali coastline have been major challenges in the country since the collapse of the central government in 1991. However, environmentalists now believe the new law will help the government safeguard the environment.