Surroundings in Gabon

More than 90% of Gabon's population is urban, with Libreville and Port-Gentil as the main dense settlement areas. About 36.6% of the urban population lives in informal settlements, including areas affected by flooding, wetlands or unstable slopes. Secondary roads are often unpaved or in poor condition, and rain can restrict access. Provincial capitals may have a SDAU, a local urban-development plan, but implementation is uneven. Basic infrastructure exists, but access and quality depend strongly on the municipality and proximity to networks. The SEEG provides the main formal water and electricity connections. A new connection normally requires a quotation, payment and a deposit; the quotation may take about 15 working days and activation about 15 working days after the contract. The social water tariff covers up to 15 cubic metres per month. Bills are generally monthly and are payable within 15 days, after which supply may be suspended. For a social new connection, at least 25% of the quotation may be payable initially, with the balance spread over 3, 6 or 12 interest-free months. Costs remain case-specific. Urban water access is reported at about 90%, compared with about 55% in rural areas, but interruptions and quality problems remain common. Safely managed water and sanitation data are not nationally available in the WHO 2022 data cited by the research, and handwashing access is about 48%. Informal wells and public water points can provide alternatives, but their quality, maintenance and responsible party must be checked locally. Wastewater and fecal-sludge treatment remain very limited, increasing contamination risks for surface and groundwater. Several public projects address these gaps. PADIG covers Oyem, Lambaréné, Koulamoutou, Franceville, Mouila, Lebamba and Ndendé with climate-resilient infrastructure, public facilities, drainage, flood protection, walkways and lighting. PASBAP addresses water, electricity, safe sanitation and fecal-sludge treatment for about 535,000 beneficiaries, with implementation extending to 2032. These projects do not create a uniform service level across all neighbourhoods. Gabon has legal controls on noise and vibration. Loi 007/2014 provides thresholds and measures for installations, buildings and vehicles. The Code pénal 2020 treats persistent, repeated or intense neighbourhood disturbance as an offence, with up to three months' imprisonment and/or a fine of up to 1,000,000 FCFA; the maximum can double for night-time disturbance or failure to follow an official order. Complaints are handled locally by the administrative, police or environmental authority responsible for the source. No verified nationwide noise map or single public complaint portal was identified. Air-pollution rules give DGEPN, the environmental directorate, responsibility for monitoring, facility controls and environmental requirements. WHO data report an urban annual PM2.5 average of 21.14 micrograms per cubic metre in 2019; a 2025 WHO scorecard reports about 26 micrograms, around five times the WHO guideline of 5 micrograms. National and municipal monitoring remains incomplete, with no verified nationwide public real-time network in the reviewed sources. Local traffic, industry and waste burning are more relevant concerns than household air pollution, given the reported 92% access to clean fuels. Gabon has no verified nationwide municipal park or green-space service. Public municipal land, arboretums, coastal and mangrove areas and protected areas can provide functional alternatives, but access depends on the site and activity. The ANPN formally manages national parks; national parks and conservation primarily belong to the Nature topic, not ordinary daily green-space access. Activities in protected areas may require an ANPN form or permission. Flooding, blocked drainage, illegal dumping and unstable building sites are major surroundings-related safety risks. Civil protection and the Ministry of the Interior coordinate disaster and public-safety responses. Environmental rules place prevention and risk obligations on responsible parties. Libreville reports have linked waste and illegal filling to blocked water flow. There is no verified general neighbourhood safety map, so access and response arrangements must be checked locally. Environmental participation is available for relevant projects. Loi 007/2014 provides rights to environmental and health information and to comment on environmentally relevant projects. Projects requiring an environmental impact assessment, or EIES, use a public investigation before approval; a NIES is a more limited environmental and social assessment used where applicable. DGEPN publishes or conducts these assessments, while the project company, prefecture or municipality may also organise consultations. Approved associations can participate in commissions and challenge environmentally harmful decisions. These consultations are project-specific, not a permanent channel for everyday neighbourhood complaints. Urban change is driven by rapid growth, flood and climate risks, missing networks, sanitation problems and waste-management gaps. The Plan national de développement 2024–2026, PADIG, PASBAP, local SDAU plans and urban-planning measures form the main reform and investment path. Improvements are expected over the medium or long term, but no reliable national timetable exists for upgrading every neighbourhood. Housing, Nature and Transport affect surroundings, but they remain separate subjects when they become the primary issue.