Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) has called for proper disposition of waste as part of pollution control measures.
And the agency has urged public to take keen interest in environmental issues and acquire knowledge on best practices of disposing waste.
ZEMA Inspectorate Manager Julius Daka who spoke on behalf of Director General Joseph Sakala during the opening of a ZEMA stakeholders meeting said burning can be harmful to public in terms of health and has negative environment effects.
“This practice of burning, particularly burning of waste, can result in many harmful public health and environment effects. The visible smoke from burning is composed of tiny particulats, particles which contain toxic pollutants.
If inhaled, continued Mr. Daka, these microscopic particles can reach deep into the lungs and remain there for months or even years.”
He added “breathing particulates increases the chances of respiratory infection can trigger asthma attacks and cause other problems such as coughing, wheezing, chest pain and shortness of breathm”
Mr. Daka further said waste management is a pressing challenge in Zambia due to reasons that includes inadequate legislation and negative public attitudes.
ZEMA and UNIDO this morning had a workshop on National Inventory of Baseline Information on Open Burning Practices and Emissions of unintentionally produced persistent organic pollutants in Zambia.
Unfortunately, ZEMA (in my view) always seem to support the corporate world whem it comes to corporate pollution- effluents from their production lines eg in Kafue Estates yeast, steel and tannery companies have been messing up the environment for years and everyone has stopped complaining! Sadly residents are so used to it that any new comer becomes ‘abnormal’ to notice or complain! Tragically, it took loss of life in Mufulira for someone to notice!