Sudan: Ad779 - Sudanese See Pollution As a Serious Problem Requiring Greater Government Attention

Source: allAfrica

Sudan: Ad779 - Sudanese See Pollution As a Serious Problem Requiring Greater Government Attention

Three-fourths of citizens want tighter regulation of the natural resource extraction industry.

Key findings

In Sudan, where desert makes up more than half the land, desertification is a perennial environmental concern, heightened by the impacts of climate change (Desertification Facts, 2022). But there are others, ranging from air pollution and plastics to toxic waste (United Nations Environment Programme, 2020; France24, 2022).

While siltation from land erosion threatens the country's limited waters, desertification is picking up speed amid increasing droughts, fuelling competition for resources and political instability (Atit, 2023; Walender, 2023). Waste from gold mining and sugar plants damages residents' health; one report estimated that 450,000 tons of mercury-filled gold-mining waste have been deposited in Nile River State (France24, 2022; Othman, 2016).

The government has also cited plastic waste as a top contributor to environmental pollution and launched a campaign in 2018 to raise awareness of its health effects and promote alternatives (Xinhua, 2018).

This dispatch reports on a special survey module included in the Afrobarometer Round 9 questionnaire to explore citizens' views and experiences regarding pollution, environmental governance, and resource extraction.

Findings show that most Sudanese consider pollution to be a major problem in their neighbourhoods, citing pollution of water sources, human waste management, and air pollution as the most important local environmental issues.

A majority of citizens say the government needs to do more to limit pollution and protect the environment, including more stringent regulation of the natural resource extraction industry in order to lessen its negative environmental effects.

Elmogiera Elawad Elmogiera Elawad is the Director of Sudan Polling and Statistics Center.

Simon Templer Kodiaga Simon Kodiaga previously served as the communications coordinator for East Africa at Afrobarometer.