2.6 PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
It is increasingly being recognized that public participation is necessary for any environmental protection
strategy to succeed. Both the Rio Declaration1 and the Tanzanian National Environmental Action
Plan2 admit that environmental issues are best handled with the participation of all citizens, at the
Public participation in government decision making pertaining to environment requires access by the people to
all relevant information and the institution of a process of notification on proposed activities, option to comment,
representation in the relevant decision making bodies, and effective access to judicial bodies as well as
administrative disputes settlement bodies. The Water Utilization and Control Act establishes such a process for
public comments and objections on applications for water rights, as well as appellate rights for the public and
aggrieved parties. Where management planning and EIA are requirements, public participation is also built into
their procedures.
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