The Enviromental Council of Zambia (ECZ), has suspended the environmental licences for a factory of the Zambian Fertilizers Limited company. It charged the company K32million ($8,600) for a number of offenses under the environmental protection and pollution control laws. Zambia.
ECZ official Justin Mukosa said the suspension follows the illegal discharge of effluent to the open environment, and failure to comply with license conditions for storage of chemicals at the factory. He said an inspection showed that the fertilizer company has no sampling program to monitor ground water and soil contamination as the company is required to do, and to then submit sampling data to ECZ on a semi-annual basis.
He further noted that the factory does not dispose off waste bags used for ferilizer storage in line with the pesticides and toxic substances regulations. Mukosa said there was inadequate waste containment and no waste separation is practiced on site for waste paper, foodstuffs and fertilizer containers as required.
Mr. Mukosa noted that the inspectors further found that most fertilizers were not stored in a secure dry area. He said ECZ has since directed the company to suspend all operations at the factory with immediate effect and embark on a clean up of all the contaminated areas. The company has also been ordered to prepare and submit an environmental management plan to the environmental council for review.
