A study of the law and policy on abatement and control of marine pollution in Sierra Leone

Abstract

Environmental pollution has engaged the attention of the world over the years and Sierra Leone as a member of the international community has participated in two global discussions to protect the environment. The sierra Leonean government is obligated by the international instrument to protect, preserve and promote a healthy environment, thus it is committing itself internationally by legislating the Environmental Protection Agency Act 2008 and Oil and Petroleum Gas Act 2011. The impact of these laws is not well felt due to scanty provision and lack of political will on the part of the government while the majority of the people are not aware of the consequences of environmental pollution especially marine pollution. The increasingly negative activities of individuals, communities and corporate organizations towards marine pollution in Sierra Leone are drastically affecting the health of the people and degrading the environment. The problems are steadily increasing day by day and the government’s omission in implementing its international commitment and deficiency of enforcement of municipal laws has reinforced this state of affairs and therefore, marine pollution continues in Sierra Leone unabated. The endemic marine pollution in Sierra Leone is the central theme of this study and the analyses within the purview of this study is to draw lessons from other countries, for example, Malaysia, Australia, and the United Kingdom in order to make a comparable emphasis on the magnitude of marine pollution in Sierra Leone. Doctrinal and non-doctrinal analyses of signed and ratified international and regional instruments, municipal law and policy of Sierra Leone on marine pollution were conducted in this study. The research concludes that there is no effective implementation mechanism and also there is no adequate law on marine pollution. In Sierra Leone Finally, the research recommends the amendment of the existing environmental laws, to reflect the Malaysia Environmental Quality Act 1974 and Exclusive Economic Zone Act 1984. There is also the need to strongly implement the relevant international treaties because they are more comprehensive.