11 Feb 2021

The director of the Department of Waste Management and Pollution Control undertook 25 trips from 2015 to 2018 with a total cost of over P363 000, says Minister of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism, Ms Phildah Kereng.

She said another cost of over P1.7 million was incured during the same period by the department for 120 trips. 

Ms Kereng further noted that trips made by officers totaled 67 with a cost of over P1.4 million. 

She said the trips contributed  to the waste management sector in the country.

She said the sector benefited in capacity building through the international trips which helped in managing resistant pollutants as in the case of the Minamata Convention on mercury, and the development of policies and inventory management.

She also added that the ministry had benefitted through research work in collaboration with other research institutes which included collaboration with Canada to do a scientific research on global mercury pollution and Germany and the Republic of South Africa on equipment to measure air quality.

Moreover Ms Kereng said through the department’s participation in the trips and conferences they were able to secure funding from donor agencies for US$145 000 for Minamata initial assessment project, US$123 000 poly-chlorinated biphenyl (PCBs) elimination project and €127 000 (about US$ 175 000) for the automated water quality assessment for the Okavango and Chobe rivers.

 The Member of Parliament for Jwaneng Mabutsane, Mr Mephato Reatile had wanted to know the total number of international trips undertaken by the director of the Department of Waste Management and Pollution Control during financial years 2015/16; 2016/17; 2017/18; and the cost of the trips respectively.

Furthermore, Mr Reatile asked the minister to also state the total number of trips undertaken by the department during the same years as well as the number of officers besides the director who travelled in the same years and the cost thereof. ends