By Alfred Zacharia
Deputy Minister in the Vice President’s Office (Union and Environment), Dr. Festo Dugange, has directed the National Environment Management Council (NEMC) to intensify environmental monitoring efforts, with a special focus on controlling noise pollution in residential areas.
During his maiden visit to NEMC headquarters, Dr. Dugange warned that noise pollution has increasingly become a public health concern, contributing to the rise of non-communicable diseases in urban and peri-urban communities.
“Noise pollution is not just a nuisance; it is a serious sign of environmental degradation,” he said. “We must address it with urgency, discipline and strong institutional cooperation.”
He instructed NEMC to prepare a joint implementation framework with the President’s Office – Regional Administration and Local Government (PORALG), particularly in major cities, to ensure noise regulation is enforced effectively from the neighbourhood level up to the national level.
Dr. Dugange emphasised that every NEMC employee has a responsibility to raise public awareness on environmental protection and ensure that environmental laws are fully observed.
Turning to the National Development Vision 2050, the Deputy Minister noted that environmental conservation and climate resilience constitute one of its three key pillars.
He stressed that a clean and stable environment is directly linked to improved community health and a reduction in non-communicable diseases.
On the clean energy agenda, he reiterated the government’s goal for 80 percent of households to be using clean energy by 2034, highlighting that the move will reduce air pollution, protect ecosystems, and lower household costs.
NEMC Board Chairperson, Engineer Mwanasha Tumbo, assured the Deputy Minister that the Council will implement the directives promptly.
NEMC Director General, Dr. Immaculate Sware Semesi, pledged to enforce the instructions in line with environmental legislation and strengthen the Council’s nationwide oversight role.