Zambia instituted the Environmental Protection and Pollution Control Act in 1990. The Environmental Council of Zambia (ECZ) was then established in June 1992 in the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources. The ECZ is an institution charged with responsibility of implementing the environmental protection and pollution control Act of 1990. Since its inception the ECZ has collected data on the environmental degradation and baseline data on pollution.
Pollution Control in Zambia |
Although Zambia has no clear-cut environmental education policy, it is
guided by education and environmental policies under the Ministry of Education,
Environment and Natural Resources. Non-governmental Institutions are also
involved in environmental education. Some of these include WildlifeConservation Society (WCS), Zambia Environmental Education Programme (ZEEP),
National Centre for Environmental Education (NCEE) and many others like Child
to Child Programme for UNICEF; World Wildlife Fund (WWF)..
The ECZ has enacted a series of statutes aimed at protecting land,
water, air and wildlife.
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The ECZ has formulations of standards and regulations
on water pollution and effluent discharge, wastes management and waste water
discharge and, pesticides and toxic substances unit.
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Noise abatement and air pollution control are in
place, but regulations to back them are not yet finalised due to lack of
expertise in the field. Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) have also been
formulated, and wetlands policy documents on natural resources have been
drafted
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Under the waste management the ECZ has designated
certain areas as dumping grounds.
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Strict rules have been set for companies and
institutions to follow in waste disposal, failure to which they will be
prosecuted. A governing licence to operate waste disposal site, the licence to
transport waste shall be subject to conditions that will avoid spillage during
transportation.
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Vehicles transporting the waste should be such that
they do not scatter, pour or emit bad smells from the waste and should follow
approved routes to licensed disposal sites or plant. One such disposal site has
been designated in Kitwe at Uchi near the agricultural show grounds.
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A number of industries are taking measures to address
the pollution problem. Many are attempting to change the technologies they are
using to make them more environmental friendly with the regulation and
standards set up by the ECZ.
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