20 Apr 2016

Some SADC countries are making efforts to reduce persistence organic pollutants (POPs) releases from waste open burning that happens in their countries.  Such countries, which include Botswana, Lesotho, Zambia, Swaziland, Madagascar, Tanzania and Mozambique have endorsed and signed the contract with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO). 

On Tuesday, these countries, through the Department of Waste Management and Pollution Control (DWMPC) held the inception project meeting on promotion of best available practices technologies and best environmental practices to alleviate persistence organic pollutants releases from waste open burning. 

Speaking at the open burn project launch, DWMPC director, Ms Oarabile Serumola said the issue of open burning was highlighted as an area of concern during the meeting of the Stockholm Convention on POPs national implementation plans in 2014 in Zambia. 

She said during that meeting most African countries listed open burning as their top priority in their national implementation plans, hence the conceptualisation of this project.  She said the project is basically a one bag regional project which will be executed by the said countries, adding that the waste management sector was complex, hence required players from all sectors of the economy to also play a role. 

Also speaking at the project launch, deputy permanent secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism, Mr Jimmy Opelo said the three day workshop was particularly important for the SADC region where the majority of communities are still practicing open burning of waste as one of the affordable waste disposal methods. 

“We note that through this practice, unintentionally released POPs are released into the local atmosphere as by-products of poor combustion, into soil as part of residue and ultimately into water bodies. They are known to be amongst the group of the most toxic chemicals known to mankind,” he said. 

Mr Opelo further noted that unintentionally released chemicals are persistent and stable in the environment and harmful to human health, and that this therefore called for concerted efforts among the different stakeholders to work together towards reducing production of POPs chemicals emanating from open burning of waste practice. 

He therefore noted that Botswana’s particular interest in this project stems from the collaboration with private sector and academia.  Mr Opelo also said Botswana recognised that the regional pilot projects would lead to cost efficient use of international financial resources at addressing the obligations of the parties to the Stockholm convention in respect to reduction of POPs releases in the region.  END