29 July 2009 | Luca Del Buono

 

Conflicts of interest between the newly-established Syrian Ministry of Environment and the country's polluting industries will probably make it difficult for the new department to have much effect, observers say.

In April, as part of a ministerial reshuffle, a presidential decree announced the creation of a new environment ministry and appointed as minister Mrs. Kawkab al-Sabah Mohammad Jamil Dayeh, who has extensive experience in environmental and health work.

For many years, environmental issues were dealt with officially by the ministry of local administration. Only briefly between 2001 and 2003 was the Ministry of Environment independent.

Environmental advocates welcomed the move as evidence that the authorities are willing to allocate more resources to solving the country's growing environmental challenges.

Syria suffers from problems like overgrazing, soil erosion, desertification, and water and air pollution as well as inadequate water supplies as more people move to towns and cities.

Many expressed doubts, however, that the ministry's budget and clout will be enough to result in the necessary action.

Work to protect the environment conflicts with the interests of an industrial sector led by influential economic figures, said Hannan Noufouj, an official at the environment directorate in the industrial city of Homs.

Adopting cleaner industrial practices, like relocating factories and installing more sophisticated filters for certain industries to reduce pollution, would lead to serious confrontation with powerful people, she said.

Industrialists try to avoid buying expensive environmentally friendly equipment and many circumvent procedures when applying for licences to build factories, she added.

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Source: Environment News Service

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