Arab Environment Day: A window into the worsening environmental crisis in Sudan – Something for the homeland – ✍️ Mr. Salah Ghariba
Arab Environment Day, celebrated on October 14 each year, is an important opportunity to highlight the serious environmental challenges facing our Arab region. This day, established to commemorate the holding of the first Arab Ministerial Conference on Environmental Affairs in Tunisia in 1986 or 1989 (according to some sources), is not just a routine celebration, but rather an urgent call to increase environmental awareness and activate Arab cooperation to confront problems such as desertification, water scarcity and climate change. But amid these celebrations, we must give special mention to the regions which suffer the most, notably in Sudan, where natural disasters mingle with the scourges of war.
Sudan, with its wealth, biodiversity and natural resources, has always been vulnerable to major environmental challenges such as desertification and drought. However, the recent war has escalated this crisis to catastrophic levels. The ongoing conflict is not only causing human loss and urban destruction, but is also causing unprecedented environmental degradation.
Military operations cause serious pollution of water, air and soil. Explosions, fires at vital facilities (refineries and factories), and the use of weapons release gunpowder gases, heavy chemicals, shrapnel, and non-explosive projectiles. This toxic mixture threatens ground and surface water and affects soil fertility, putting human and animal health at risk of long-term poisoning and disease. Damage to water and sanitation infrastructure also increases the risk of outbreaks of infectious diseases such as cholera and dengue.
The conflict has forced millions of Sudanese to flee, leading to the concentration of large numbers of displaced people in limited geographic areas. This concentration significantly increases local demand for already scarce natural resources, including wood for heating and water. This is leading to deforestation and land degradation at an accelerating rate, reducing the country’s resilience to climate change and increasing the severity of desertification.
Many agricultural activities have been disrupted and land has been damaged, threatening the food security of Sudan, much of which depends on agriculture for its economy and livelihood. The destruction of natural environments and ecosystem disruption has led to the emergence of wild animals (such as snakes) in abandoned or damaged residential areas, posing a direct danger to returnees and residents.
On the occasion of Arab Environment Day, the need for a comprehensive Arab and international approach is evident, which is not limited to humanitarian assistance, but also places environmental restoration at the heart of efforts for reconstruction and lasting peace in Sudan.
Required measures include assessing environmental damage by conducting urgent and accurate surveys and assessments of the extent of pollution and land degradation, removing war remnants by providing extensive disposal programs for unexploded explosives and toxic chemicals, supporting environmental infrastructure with the reconstruction and maintenance of water treatment plants and networks sewers, and strengthening adaptation capacity while supporting programs to combat desertification, afforestation and human development in the most vulnerable areas. affected areas, with emphasis on the use of smart agricultural technologies and geographic information systems.
Environmental protection in Sudan is an integral part of protecting humanity, peace and the future. Arab Environment Day must become an opportunity for concrete commitment to save what remains of the environment in Sudan. Otherwise, the repercussions of this destruction will haunt future generations and undermine any chance of lasting peace.
