Ministry of Water, Environment, Regional Planning and Town Planning (MEEATU) - Bujumbura - Burundi

The General Missions of the Ministry of Water, Environment, Regional Planning and Town Planning

Design and implement the national policy on water, the environment, land use planning, town planning and housing, while ensuring the protection and conservation of natural resources;
Develop and implement, in collaboration with the relevant ministries, the national soil erosion control policy;
Establish a stable structure for the coordination of water resources management;
Establish a national water resource data management structure;
Set up specialized structures for training and production of supports aimed at controlling the water situation;
Set up a regulatory body to mediate between users of the water sector;
Set up a national water quality analysis laboratory at all levels of use;
Develop a national water policy as well as the implementing texts;
Initiate the reforms necessary for appropriate management of the water and sanitation sector;
Develop appropriate strategies to lead the water sector towards the Millennium Development Goals;
Participate in exchange and partnership programs in integrated water resources management (IWRM) with regional and international institutions of which Burundi is a member;
Design and implement the national policy on sanitation and industrial pollution control in collaboration with the other departments concerned;
Design and implement the national policy for the prevention and management of natural disasters in collaboration with the other services concerned;
Develop and popularize a national environmental education program;
Establish policies for adaptation to climate change in collaboration with the other technical services concerned;
Manage and develop natural and state forests;
Create and develop protected areas, including national parks and nature reserves;
Design and develop environmental standards to serve as a code of conduct in environmental management;
Develop and enforce regulations on land use planning, environmental protection and management;
Design and implement a coherent reforestation policy at the national level;
Ensure reforestation and environmental protection in urban, semi-urban and rural areas;
Ensure the supervision of reforestation in collaboration with the various stakeholders in rural areas;
Contribute to the implementation of international program conventions in the management and protection of the environment and natural resources;
Ensure the regular updating of the environmental code;
Develop and implement the national strategy for sustainable management and use of land in Burundi;
Decide on the vocation of urban and semi-urban state lands and their allocation by following the guidelines of land use master plans;
Develop and update master plans for land use, town planning and marshes;
Design and implement the national policy on urban, semi-urban and rural housing;
Design and execute the national policy for the development, subdivision and allocation of urban, semi-urban and rural lands;
Ensure the national cadastre and land security;
Develop and monitor the ministry’s investment projects.