An environmental watch group has criticized Government’s decision to allow the development of the Lusaka South Multi Facility Economic Zone (MFEZ) before any environmental assessments are conducted in accordance with the law.
The Zambia Community Based Natural Resource Management Forum said it is shocked and alarmed to learn that Lusaka South MFEZ is already signing deals with external developers before submitting the necessary environmental assessments as directed by ZEMA.
In a letter addressed to Lusaka South MFEZ Managing Director Fortune Kamusaki, Forum Spokesman Vincent Ziba said the Lusaka MFEZ has potential to pollute and contaminate Lusaka ground water.
Mr Ziba said his organisation has information from ZEMA that the Lusaka MFEZ has been directed to conduct the necessary Environmental Assessments in accordance with the requirements of the Environmental Management Act before proceeding with any of the area.
“We are shocked and alarmed to learn from media reports that you are already signing deals with Zambian Breweries and going ahead with your illegal developments before you conduct and submit the necessary environmental assessments as directed by ZEMA and in accordance with the Environmental Management Act,” read part of the letter.
It said, “Your impunity and wanton disregard for our Zambian Laws by a public owned company is simply amazing, this is totally unacceptable.”
Mr Ziba said as many studies have shown, the Lusaka South National Forest Area, where the proposed site is situated is critical to Lusaka’s ground water recharge saying 60 percent of Lusaka’s current water supply is ground supply.
“From the colonial times through to the Kaunda and Chiluba administrations, it has been an article of faith that no anthropogenic activities such as the factories proposed by MEFZ project should be cited in the Lusaka South ground water recharge area,” he said.
He warned that once ground water is polluted, it is impossible to clean it up.
“Let us learn lessons of history. Over 50 years ago, the then colonial administration made a decision to start discharging Lusaka’s sewerage and other influents into the Ngwerere River, a tributary of Chongwe River. Today, as they say, ‘the chickens have come home to roost.”
Mr Ziba said the Chongwe Rover has had to shut down and abandon the water treatment plant on the Chongwe River because the water is too contaminated for the plant to treat to acceptable standards for human consumption.
Why is it easier for Chinese nationals to get working VISAS to Zambia than the other way around?
Who is being abused here?
Thanks
Chinese have nice women tight
That moment when few people comment on a post because they can’t understand any jack sh.t about it.Cry my beloved country where people only knows how to talk about politics day in and out.
I think there is too much red tape to to business properly. Planning permission needs to be dealt by one branch/department of the council which will act on all the other parameters before granting or refusing permission. Grounds for refusal can than vary from protected bird mating area to ground water source supplying the city. You can’t have ZEMA,ZCMBNRMF, MFEZ, ANYFEZ, WHATFEZ……BLAH BLAH BLAH. Computerise the land registry information and link it to the environmental mapping of the city based at the Civic centre and Bob is our uncle. Anthropogenic is just a fancy word for pollutant and you could follow the gist of what the guy is saying in his environmental science speak. They just need to hookup and work together. Lusaka is big and no doubt they will find another spot.
Where do Chinese fit? According to the caption Japanese investors are pictured here.
This too will proceed as planned … there are mitigating circumstances that would allow this zone to be commercialized as planned while mitigating environmental hazards.
In this day and age technological advances have been reached such that the aquifer can be completed protected by developers. And even if it is not completely protected, microfiltration, reverse osmosis and a combination of ultraviolet treatment with hydrogen peroxide can still meet the same objectives.
For instance, England and Singapore already have potable reuse system supplying about 30 percent of drinking water. This means 30% of water in the UK is recycled from the toilet to the tap.
Experts say reuse technologies have been proven, and treatment plants can get wastewater as clean as distilled water.
@BR Mumba, we mbwa we, if the British are drinking their urine, why you want your Sata to be drinking recycled water from Misisi compound?
Mwe fibana fya mu mayadi mwalitumpa fye..
@Nostradamus? it seems you dont understand a thing and hence you have to refer to other people as dogs and all that.. logic indeed doesnt work for some people, wonder what you do for a living. the fact is even in zambia water is recyled because all the sewer goes to a treatment plant wer it is processed and released in the river and eventualy retapped into the water supply resevoir and back to your tap and restrooms. Have respect for other peoples opinion and debate interlectually. If you find my post difficult to understand let me know and I’ll transale it in a language you understand.
Nostradums: Uba banoko elephantisis of the clitoris…
“From the colonial times through to the Kaunda and Chiluba administrations, it has been an article of faith that no anthropogenic activities such as the factories proposed by MEFZ project should be cited in the Lusaka South ground water recharge area,” he said.“
Now someone please translate anthropogenic into Bisa,, otherwise this information will be `useless` like most useless PF MPs
My dear, Ndobo, you can find the meaning in one of the Thick Books called the dictionary. It is not just for Judges. Or better still you can ask a Permanent Secretary from State house to help you. This Thick book phobia really runs deep, ka.
Not phobia,,, Thick book allergic reaction (TBAR)
I had a feeling that people like Ndobo and Nostradamus won’t understand a thing from this article explains why few people have commented on this post.LT should have had instead published some anti-PF article to bring most of the jokers bring out of the woodwork.This is too advanced for an average LT blogger.
@Data, how did you know that I will not understand that stupidity? I mean you people need industries, including mines in the national parks. Pollution pollution, next you will go and slaughter all HH’s cattle that they are causing soil-erosion from over-grassing.
its too late you should have brought these issues up during the consultative period prior to development. all zambians ever want to do is react. be proactive sometimes.
If you really think about it, even giving input during the consultative process is in and of itself a reaction. It begins with a proposition, then people chime in—-
English!!!!
We need to start discussing whether as a country it is necessary to institutions such as ZEMA on which we spend tax payers money but have no relevance to anything we are doing. Remember the following:
1. Levy Mwanawasa hospital was constructed without an Environmental Impact Assessment report,
2. Mining in the lower Zambezi ZEMA has been overruled,
3. closure of Mopani leaching plant ZEMA was ignored,
so why do we have ZEMA? Why do we spend taxpayers money on ZEMA? Why not abolish it?
ref: I think there is too much red tape to to business properly. Planning permission needs to be dealt by one branch/department of the council which will act on all the other parameters before granting or refusing permission. Grounds for refusal can than vary from protected bird mating area to ground water source supplying the city. You can’t have ZEMA,ZCMBNRMF, MFEZ, ANYFEZ, WHATFEZ……BLAH BLAH BLAH. Computerise the land registry information and link it to the environmental mapping of the city based at the Civic centre and Bob is our uncle. Anthropogenic is just a fancy word for pollutant and you could follow the gist of what the guy is saying in his environmental science speak. They just need to hookup and work together. Lusaka is big and no doubt they will find another spot.
As a public health expert i completely agree with them.It is a genuine concern they have raised here and this must be treated with careful deliberation and consideration.
hmmm, imwe nimwe mwebalelanda pa grade 9 oral english exam at, “am agree withi the motio!!”. Just so that you say something mu exam and get a few points. no analysis, kulandafye ati i completely agree with them, it is a genuine concern they have raised here. Impoundishi shapa zed mdala, ni so chabe!!!wansekesha sana mune!!!
Ha ha ha ba Zagaze lelo tamuletukana ? Ilemoneka kwati mwachibukila ku right lelo.Keep it up.
Public healthy?? hygiene epaya abamwishiba. People in Chongwe they fish in those rivers.
@saulosi – lelo kaili namutusekesha. no room for ukutukana. tukatukana mailo olo bulya bushiku!!!
Zagaze…LMFAO!
Utuma environmentalists nomba twaambafye ukusabaila every development bwebwebwe atase imwe tukalya environment I think twamu opposition development is a threat to them
1. Is the new MFEZ going to pollute ground water as feared by the opponents?
2. Is the impact not able to be corrected or mitigated by directing the effluent to other areas where it can be processed before discharge?
Something is amiss here.
Katundu,,,,that is what all rational thinking Zambian would have it. However, no one ensures that it is done that way. Case in point: Mimbula Fitula in Chingola. The effluent you talk of runs uncontrollably into the environment. At some point somebody presented evidence that the Kafue water is polluted but nobody seems to give a hoot. So, pollution continues.
Another case you may already know, is asbestos. Nobody is listening. The legal fraternity knows about the dangers of asbestos, but none of the spineless men and women of the law are saying anything about it.
As Munkombwe once chided, people are in government not to work but to eat.
Where does it leave the rest of us?
This is shocking. ….where are these empty tins in govt taking this country to?
Deleted
Comment deleted.Blogger must grow up.
Typical Zambian reporting, no recap, no background. Someone says something about something. Continue with the article to give some background – who is the person who said it, what are they talking about, why should there be an article about it, etc.
Good evening
A headline on related news reads; “Malaysians coming for Lusaka South MFEZ”, now who exactly is investing there?
The Environmental Campaigners seem to have their good reasons to demonstrate against the venture but why wont they at least disclose to us which part of Lusaka would be siutable for an economic zone? Otherwise it is all just sounds like confused political noise that most people are already fed up with.
They are saying submit an EAR first.
It is shocking that ZEMA always react late to EIA studies, and i quote “Mr Ziba said the Chongwe Rover has had to shut down and abandon the water treatment plant ” what is the meaning of Chongwe ROVER..is it an Environmental impact assesment technical term?
Glad that zambia is not industrialised bcoz our weak and shaky environmental regulations would be abused with heavy metals,industrial waste,arsenic and air polutants by such mercenary Asian infestors only out to make a buck at our kids expense.Let ’em go back to Nagasaki.
They are coming en mass! Just watch the activities at the home affairs office
This too will proceed as planned … there are mitigating circumstances that would allow this zone to be commercialized as planned while mitigating environmental hazards.
In this day and age technological advances have been reached such that the aquifer can be completed protected by developers. And even if it is not completely protected, microfiltration, reverse osmosis and a combination of ultraviolet treatment with hydrogen peroxide can still meet the same objectives.
For instance, England and Singapore already have potable reuse system supplying about 30 percent of drinking water. This means 30% of water in the UK is recycled from the toilet to the tap.
Experts say reuse technologies have been proven, and treatment plants can get wastewater as clean as distilled water.
until you start dying like cocroaches that when you will realise how serious this matter is, you monkeys in suits. I guess this how best I can describe zambian education ‘monkeys in suits’. You can’t even make a tricycle and here you are talking about such things as water recycling and filtetation.
in zambia nothing works…no law and order…do what you want so long you oil the palms of the pipo in govt.
Where was this Id!ot when the Project started? Now now and not then?