The Local Agenda 21 Planning Guide - Democrats Against UN ...

The Local Agenda 21 Planning Guide
central government, and the private and popular sector in partnership to support these activities. Two examples are worth citing:
EXAMPLE 1.
Faced with a total collapse of the Solid Waste collection-system in mid-1992, the Working Groups on Privatization, Emergency
Clean-up, and Managing Disposal Sites prepared detailed Action Plans that resulted in significant DCC, central government, and
donor resource mobilization. As a result, waste collection increased to between 10 percent and 15 percent of that generated each day,
and a sanitary landfill operation was developed at a new disposal site. Some $2.75 million of donor and private sector capital
investments and further technical assistance have been committed.
EXAMPLE 2.
The Working Group on Upgrading Unserviced Settlements selected the Hanna Nassif Settlement as a pilot project to support (in
association with ILO and UN volunteers) a community-based initiative to provide much needed surface drainage. Six community
groups have been mobilized, electing members to a Community Development Committee (CDC) whose membership is 60 percent
female. The CDC was registered and a bank account established with locally raised funds of approximately US$500. “Community
Construction Contracting” procedures designed to maximize local employment and income-generating opportunities have been
agreed upon and used by the CDC to construct their own project offices and initial form work for drainage molds. Seed capital of
$250,000 has been raised from the donor community for materials, with community groups contributing unskilled labor. As a result,
three other communities have approached the project for support.
Broad strategies for intervention and some detailed Action Plans have been established for a number of environmental issues. These
include:
• privatization, emergency clean-up, and managing waste disposal;
• upgrading unserviced settlement;
• managing open spaces, recreational grounds, hazard lands, and green belts;
• improving air quality through transportation management; and
• managing liquid waste and surface waters.
Lessons Learned
The SDP has become a focal point in the DCC for interested individuals and institutions to identify with, and become involved in
managing the city’s environmental resources. It has also become a focal point for UN agencies and the donor community to channel
funds into the city’s rehabilitation and future management. Hence, the project has made significant progress in improving the image
of DCC to residents, and increasing service delivery on a more sustainable basis using more realistic cost-recovery mechanisms.
The sustainability of the process being developed and integrated within the city management structure is based upon its focus on
environmental issues, and the Working Group members developing a sense of ownership of their proposals. As the groups build
their environmental data bases, review the costs and benefits of alternative interventions (especially the cost of environmental
neglect), and implement their proposals, they create a greater awareness of good environmental planning and management practices.
They can then anticipate the potential impacts of city growth on its natural resources base before they become a crisis.
In spite of the progress recorded so far, the SDP has faced a number of problems. Professionals tend to be trained conventionally and
more time is required to sensitize, and “de-school,” various actors who participate in the Working Groups to respect and adapt to
other professional views and individual opinions. Time is needed to introduce professionals, technocrats, decision makers, and
members of the public, to the project principles, process, and activities. Because the program focuses on environmental issues which
cut across institutional divides, certain institutions, departments, professions, and individuals, feel threatened. Fears have been
expressed of a “takeover” of some city departmental functions by the city planner, requiring further emphasis on the fact that the
program is meant to support all institutions involved in better managing of city resources, and is not a new department itself.
Other problems include the poor financial resource base of Dar es Salaam City Council, a demoralized work force, and a lack of
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