Francisco Lopes, who spoke about water and sanitation and their contribution to the environmental emergency, also referred to the incorrect disposal of hospital waste or biological material as actions that endanger the environment in Angola.
According to the hydraulic engineer, flooding in residential and industrial areas due to the lack of mechanisms for collecting and storing rainwater also threatens the well-being of the population in the country.
The specialist pointed out the rupture of a dam with mineral rejects, as happened in 2022 in the province of Lunda Sul, and the breakage of pipelines (waste conductor) and pipes in industry and urbanization as actions that contribute to the environmental emergency.
For Francisco Lopes, who was speaking in an open debate by civil society, promoted by the Ministry of the Environment within the scope of the IX Meeting of Ministers of the Environment of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP), scheduled for Luanda, Angola also has “challenges” in terms of planning of the territory.
In the expert's view, “deficient urban management and planning, the absence or quality of deficient projects” and the lack of structure in the solid waste collection system are among the factors that lead to environmental emergencies in Angola.
As measures to mitigate environmental emergencies, he defended land planning, allotment and infrastructure, and the quality of projects associated with environmental impact studies.
Curriculum plans in environmental engineering teaching institutions "should be defined and monitored by the Ministry of the Environment", as responsible for coordinating environmental policies, also defended the expert.
The meeting, which brings together various actors from civil society linked to the protection and promotion of the environment, aims to collect contributions that reflect society's concerns and possible solutions in this field to support the discussion at the IX Meeting of CPLP Ministers of the Environment.
