The recently enacted Environmental Management Act 2011 has come up with stiffer penalties for environmental offences.
The Act, assented to by the President on April 12, 2011 and Enacted by Parliament three days later also re-named the Environmental Council of Zambia (ECZ) as Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA).
ZEMA Legal Services Manager, Chibesa Chibesakunda said under the new Act the offences of failure to conduct an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), contravening environmental standards or guidelines will attract a penalty of K126 million at the current kwacha value or five or seven years imprisonment respectively.
Ms Chibesakunda said failure to manage hazardous waste and materials will attract a penalty of K180 million or ten years imprisonment while other offences will attract penalties in the range of K18 million to K54 million or three to five years imprisonment sentences.
She nevertheless, said ideally the penalties are not made to punish the industries for non compliance to required environmental management standards but to ensure that they comply with necessary standards.
ZANIS reports Ms Chibesakunda said this in Solwezi today during a consultative meeting with Kansanshi Mine staff mainly from production and environment departments aimed at making them abreast with the new Act.
Meanwhile, Kansanshi Mine Environmental Manager, Richard Zyambo commended ZEMA for engaging them in the consultative forum so that they should be focussed and avoid being caught unawares with the new Act provisions because the penalties are stiff.
Mr Zyambo urged all the participants to thoroughly go through the new Act and share what they have gathered during the meeting with their colleagues so that they do not fall prey of the new penalties.
ZANIS
I wonder if this extends to Xrays and Fixer disposal..no one is following the rules in MOH while the substance is Bio Hazard causing cancer when it mixes with water..they dispose it in the drain mixing it with sewerage which goes in the water table..
Don’t just focus on the mines, look at domestic waste as well. Street vendors should also be punished. Moreover, conduct awareness campaigns meant at attitude change by the numerous Zambians who think littering on the streets is normal. Introduce environmental awareness classes in primary schools and teach kids to care for the environment.
ZEMA should quickly revise all Statutory instruments which were made under the old Act.Mopani mine in Mufulira is a major air polluter in the district and ZEMA seem to treat them with kid gloves.Please enforce the mitigating measures contained in their EIS or EMP.
No 2 is right!!! Education mu Zambia is the key.
Please ensure the public health wing at councils intensify educating the public against the habit of disposing domestic waste outside houses along streets. Our townships have become very filthy and such dirty attracts flies and rats.Do something about waste disposal in residential areas.Most people think its normal practice.
Our short existence as intellectuals with free speech must have taught us one thing that no matter the size of penalty applicable to offenders if the GRZ, ZEMA or ECZ is required consult prior to enforcing the LAW….it will not work, much less bear fruit for ZAMBIA by scaring CORPORATES into observing environmental regulations in whatever form or shape. Lets take a leaf from USA on ENRON
About time!
Also the councils should ensure service provision of refuse collection and bins all over towns and townships, the lack of simple things like bins is costing the environment.
i love zambia
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ZEMA needs to asses the so-called “investors” whose altitudes & actions towards our natural resources we can not ignore. Stiffer punishments should also be implemented on them & not just our poor local people like the “charcoal burners
…..peace…..!!!!!!!!
I also think ZEMA should put more effort in educating the young in schools on issues concerning the environment & maybe this might improve on the way the envinment is taken care.
not only the young but all the ages should be educated intensively on how to safekeep our environment for us to have better zambia..!
Most of the people are already aware about evironmentl problems and their impacts, it is because of poverty why they are breaking the environmental law. They are finding one or two ways of alivating poverty therefore, the government should do something