According to the State of Environment and Outlook Report 2021, the Covid-19 pandemic had both a negative and a positive impact on the environment.
The sixth report provides a comprehensive assessment and analysis of Rwanda’s environment, as well as an examination of the potential environmental impacts of Covid-19.
Below are five areas affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Impact on biodiversity and forests
According to the report, the Covid-19 pandemic allowed wildlife to thrive in certain habitats and extended their territories. However, it also impeded scientific research and monitored wildlife and ecosystem functions.
“There is some evidence that tourists are not causing a rise or a decrease in biodiversity or the arrival of new species to areas previously occupied by hikers and other visitors,” says part of the report.
Tourism: Impact
The report shows that protected areas appear to be safe from decreased human activity.
However, the report points out that other areas have not been subject to scientific monitoring and surveillance of touristic environment. This might make it more vulnerable to illegal activities such as deforestation, grazing, and so on.
In 2020, Rwanda’s tourism sector was the worst-hit.
Due to the pandemic restrictions, tourism revenue fell 76 percent from $498 million in 2019 and $121 million in 2020.
The government currently transfers 10 percent of tourism revenue to communities near parks. This means that conservation efforts are also affected by a decrease in tourism revenue.
The government’s support for this sector through the Economic Recovery Fund, (ERF), will go a long ways in helping it recover. Around 50 percent of Rwf100billion recovery fund has been devoted to the tourism and hospitality industry.
Impact on waste management
The report states that Rwanda’s current situation is worsened by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The production and use of personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gloves, masks and disinfectant bottles will have increased,” the report states. The report also highlights that containment measures to slow the spread of the virus have caused interruptions in waste management work, and delayed the establishment waste collection centers throughout the country, such as ewaste.
One of the responses was the pilot projects that started the safe disposal of PPEs.
Local waste collection companies collect used gloves and masks at the Kabuye central collection centre, a Kigali suburb, where they are kept before being incinerated, REMA stated.
Impact on water and sanitation
According to the report, water and sanitation were critical sectors during Covid-19. This was partly due to their importance in fighting the spread of the pandemic and partly because of the economic consequences of the pandemic that made it more difficult for the public to access water and sanitation services.
“Rural residents were more impacted than urban residents.” According to the report, rural and small-town water providers were more affected by the pandemic than urban residents. This included supply chain difficulties and financial challenges.
Impact on air quality
The report states that containment measures taken to stop the spread of Covid-19 led to improvements in air quality, particularly in Kigali, where vehicular traffic was decreased.
It also states that vulnerable populations who sheltered at home during the pandemic were more likely to be exposed to indoor pollution because of the increased use of low-quality fuels.
Conclusions and recommendations
The report recommends that Rwanda needs climate smart solutions, including mass public transport systems powered by clean energy from renewable sources.
According to the recommendation, “Smart public transport systems will be preferred by the public when they are efficient and timely, while huge tariffs for personal fossil fuel-driven cars can deter people from owning and using them.”
The report indicates that Rwanda’s incremental investment in clean energy will lead to a low carbon economy by 2050, if current efforts are continued.
It said that the most effective and efficient way to protect public’s health from the harmful effects of outdoor air pollution is to reduce ambient concentrations by using emission controls.
Forest restoration efforts will reduce the frequency and severity disasters like floods, landslides and earthquakes. However, the government says it will need to increase its early warning capacity to ensure that there is minimal or no loss of human life and animals due to these catastrophes.
“There are still many things to do in terms managing and protecting the natural resource. Rwanda was and is impacted by the COVID-19 epidemic, just like other countries in this region.
Recommended: Acceleration of Wetlands Restoration
The report also recommends that rehabilitation of Rugenge Gikondo wetlands, and other wetlands in the City of Kigali, be accelerated.
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Management plans for the Rweru-Mugesera wetlands and Akagera wetlands are also recommended.
A key target of 30% forest cover for 2020 has already been met by the government.
The report however suggests that Rwanda should promote alternative sources for energy for cooking and modern fuel-cooking technologies to reduce domestic consumption of biomass energy, which is still around 86 percent.
A national integrated and sustainable waste management strategy is required in order to create an effective waste management system for Rwanda.
According to researchers, this will guide waste management practices and incorporate waste minimization with other technologies to unlock opportunities in the waste sector.
An integrated conservation agriculture approach could provide high quality soil management that maximizes agricultural yields while minimizing environmental damage.
Other recommendations include the need to conduct assessments of the water quality throughout the country. This should include repeated monitoring at the same locations as well as sampling locations to detect changes in water quality.
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