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By Elmogiera Elawad and Simon Kodiaga Three-fourths of citizens want tighter regulation of the natural resource extraction industry.
Key findings
- Most Sudanese (88%) say pollution is a serious problem in their communities, including 67% who consider it a “very serious problem.”
- Respondents cite pollution of water sources, human waste management, and air pollution as the most important environmental issues in their communities.
- More than three-fourths (79%) of citizens say plastic bags are a major source of pollution in Sudan.
- Citizens assign the primary responsibility for reducing pollution and keeping communities clean to local government (33%), national government (28%), and ordinary citizens (27%).
- Most respondents give the government poor marks on reducing pollution and protecting the environment (86%) and say it needs to increase its efforts (74%).
- If environmental-protection policies threaten jobs and incomes, more than half (55%) of Sudanese would still want the government to prioritise the environment rather than jobs.
- About half (49%) of Sudanese say the benefits of natural resource extraction, such as jobs and revenue, outweigh negative impacts such as pollution.
- Three-fourths (76%) of citizens say the government should regulate the natural resource extraction industry more tightly in order to reduce its negative impacts on the environment
