Zambia Implements Ban On Plastic Carrier Bags

A customer collecting a recyclable plastic bag
at Pick N Pay Mukuba Mall store in Kitwe

By Paul Shalala

Several multi-national chain stores countrywide have started implementing government's ban on the sale and distribution of carrier plastics bags to customers.

So far, Shoprite, Pick and Pay and Game Stores have started providing alternative plastics to their customers.

Shoprite, which is one of the largest retailers in the country, has supplied recyclable plastic carrier bags to all it's 35 stores countrywide.

The recyclable plastics are still yellow but clearly labelled for customers to distinguish them.

The chain store has even placed huge sign posts at the entrance and exits of its stores to sensitise its customers on the use of recyclable plastic carrier bags.

Shoprite Zambia General Manager Charles Botha has told this blogger that in line with the Ministry of Water Development and Environment, the chain store has started supplying recyclable plastics to it's customers.

Mr Botha says Shoprite is proud to be involved in creating a better environment for the country by sensitising consumers on the use of alternative plastics.

"My advise to the customers is that these recyclable plastics can be used up to four times. By reusing them, we will reduce the number of plastics in the environment," he said.

And a check at Shoprite stores at Mukuba Mall and Matuka Avenue in Kitwe, found the recyclable plastics being offered to consumers at a fee.

The small one is being sold at five ngwee while the big one is going at K1.

However, the old plastics are still being given for free as Shoprite still has old stock.

And at Game Stores and Pick And Pay branches at Mukuba Mall and in town center, management has placed notices on the use of recyclable plastics and alternatives.

Pick N Pay is giving out white plastic bags though for now they are not yet labelled.

Irene Lungu

The recyclable plastic bags are being sold at K1 and the chain store is not giving out the old stock.

Meanwhile, the Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) says it is legal for supermarkets to charge customers for the recyclable plastic carrier bags.

ZEMA Corporate Affairs Manager Irene Chipili has told this blogger that the Extended Producer Responsibility Regulations allow chain stores to provide alternative plastics which are environmentally friendly at a fee or for free.

"Chain stores supplying plastics below 30 microns to customers are legally allowed to provide alternative carrier bags at a fee. So those who are selling are allowed, it is not illegal," she said.

 And an environmentalist says the Statutory instrument has brought some business to those who wish to invest in sustainable products.

"This also is a chance for local designers and tailors make cloth bags and let those dominate our market so that eventually we completely deal with Carrier Bags and begin to use and reuse cloth bags," says Geoffrey Daka.

He adds that plastic has not be banned but plastic below 30 microns is what has been banned through the SI.

 

Mr daka says: "The beauty with 30 microns thickness plastic is that it can be recycled. In an event that chain stores move a step further, they can have more alternative bags to plastic bags so that there is encouraged reuse of the alternative bags."

In December 2018, the Ministry of Water Development and Environment issued Statutory Instrument number 65 of 2018 which banned the use of plastic carrier bags.

The statutory Instrument outlined a number of alternatives and prescribed February 14, 2019  as the start of the implementation for the ban on plastics.

The Statutory Instrument (SI) on carrier plastic bags is aimed at discouraging the public from using plastics which are non biodegradable.

For companies that do not comply with the SI, they face a fine of K90,000 on three years imprisonment.

Diseases Increase, Fish Die As Pollution Continues In Chingola

Sandwell Sinyangwe pointing at the polluted Shimulala stream

By Paul Shalala in Chingola

Pollution in the copper mining town of Chingola is not a new story.

For decades, this town has been suffering for indiscriminate pollution of its streams and now residents are fed up.

Chingola hosts Konkola Mine and Nchanga Open Pit mines which are run by Konkola Copper Mines (KCM), a Vedanta-owned firm.

On Friday, over 100 Chingola residents met at Protea Hotel to complain about pollution and give evidence of the effects of the problem.

Their complaints follow last week's comments by Chingola Mayor Titus Tembo in which he indicated that KCM had polluted streams in the town.

"KCM has polluted the Mushishima stream killing fish. Because of poverty, our people are eating the dead fish and some have become sick," said Mr Tembo when Mines Minister Christopher Yaluma paid a courtesy call on him on Thursday last week.

And at the meeting which was organized by Action Aid Zambia, residents had a chance to air out their anger over the challenges they are going through with unsafe water.

A concerned resident Bernadette Malamba has documented over five deaths caused by polluted water in the district.

"We have documented five deaths so far. Most of them are children who die of unsafe water. We have nowhere to complain to. People's sight being affected due to pollution in the Shimulala stream," said Ms Malamba who also works for the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace.

Ms Malamba has been campaigning against pollution in Chingola since 2005 and she has a list of suspected cases of pollution in about three streams.

Her words have been echoed by other residents who face similar challenges.

Chingola residents during the meeting at Protea Hotel

"The Zambia Environmental Management Agency has failed us. Every year they come here to test water but nothing tangible comes out. Mining companies keep polluting our water and ZEMA is quiet," said Kennedy Mulenga who heads a local pressure group on pollution.

Across Chingola, cases of diarrhoea and other diseases are common.

A visit to Shimulala village on the outskirts of Chingola town reveals the full extent of pollution.

In the past decade, residents had gardens along the Shimulala stream but today, they have all disappeared.

Downstream, indigenous streams have dried up due to high levels of copper and acid in the stream.

"This stream has been polluted. It has high levels of copper, acid and other minerals. When we plant crops, they do not grow. This has led us to stop planting rape and cabbage because they dry up. This has brought poverty in the village, we are suffering," said Davies Sinyangwe in an interview.

Another resident Hildah Nakumwenda has this to say: "Water from this stream is not healthy. When you cook beans, it does not get ripe. When you use the water for bathing, it leaves you with rush. We used to support our children with school fees from the gardens but now they have abandoned school because we cant afford to pay the fees."

Action Aid Zambia, a member of the global non governmental organisation championing the rights of underprivileged people in society, has joined the residents of Chingola in calling for action on pollution.

"We have received several cases of human rights violations in the form of pollution. We shall take on these cases and help the residents find a solution to this problem. The problem we have found is that ZEMA does not engage the community in these issues," said Jeston Lunda, Action Aid Zambia Manager for Agriculture and Environment.

And in some areas like Maiteneke and Sopano, instead of receiving clean running water from Mulonga Water and Sewerage Company, residents are supplied with brown water.

"It seems Mulonga Water does not treat its water. When Konkola Copper Mines releases that dirty water from the mine, it flows into the Kafue river where Mulonga collects its water. They do not even treat it and supply us like that," said Charles Mubanga, a resident of Maiteneke.

And Sabrina Mule, a resident of Sopano also complains of the brown water: "We are tired of being sick with this brown water. We need a solution as soon as possible before we all die of diseases."

But Mulonga Water and Sewerage Company Public Relations Manager Deborah Kangende says the brown water is safe for drinking.

"We have a number of residential areas in Chingola who are supplied with brown water from KCM. That water is safe because we conduct tests before we supply it. That colour comes out because of the reaction from the minerals and chlorine which we add to purify it," said Ms Kangende in an interview.

The Shimulala stream

Recently, KCM Chief Executive Officer Steven Din acknowledged receiving a petition from Chingola residents over pollution. 

This was after Mines Minister Christopher Yaluma asked him about the many cases residents briefed him on pollution.

Mr Din promised that the mining giant would look into their concerns.

The seven paged petition contains several detailed cases of water and air pollution which are all blamed on KCM, Zambia's largest mining investor.

Aerial pictures of suspected polluted areas and results of PH tests on water are all tabulated in the petition.

"We as residents have since witnessed an increase in acid mist which is chocking residents in the western part of Chingola around Mwaiseni and Chiwempala, the most recent incident being reported on Monday 12th and Tuesday 13th December, 2016. This is further exacerbated by the lack of mist suppressants," reads part of the petition.

The petition was delivered on 14th December to KCM with copies being made available to the two area Members of Parliament in Chingola, Councillors, the Ministry of Finance, the Zambia Development Agency and the Zambia Revenue Authority.

KCM is among seven major mining firms which are under investigations following the discivery of high levels of sulphate in the Kafue and Mwambashi stream three weeks ago.

The pollution forced the Nkana Water and Sewerage Company to shut water supply to the city of Kitwe, leaving the over 500,000 residents of Zamhia's second largest city without water for two days.

Results from the investigations by the Zambia Environmental Management Agency are yet to be released.

The other mining firms under investigations for pollution are NFC Africa Mining, Chambeshi Copper Smelter, Chambeshi Metals, Sino Metals, Bollore Africa Mining and Mopani Copper Mines.

Investigations Into Kafue River Pollution Completed

An aerial view of the Kafue river on the Copperbelt

By Paul Shalala in Ndola

The Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) has completed its investigation on seven mining firms on the Copperbelt over last week's pollution of the Kafue River.

ZEMA Northern Region Manager Gift Sikaundi says the investigations team finished collecting samples from all suspicious sites and handed them over to three separate laboratories.

"We have handed over the samples to the Water Resources Management Authority laboratory in Lusaka, the Alfred Knight laboratory in Kitwe and the Nkana Water and Sewerage Company laboratory in Kitwe. We expect the results after seven days," said Mr Sikaundi during an interview at his Ndola office.

He has disclosed that during the investigation, ZEMA inspectors collected samples from various dams, reservoirs and streams in Chingola and Mufulira.

On Thursday last week, ZEMA launched investigations against the seven mining firms after sulphate was detected in the Kafue River the source of water supply to Kitwe, Kalulushi and Chambeshi.

The seven mining firms all discharge water into the Mwambashi stream which eventually ends up in the Kafue river.

The companies being investigated are Konkola Copper Mines, Mopani Copper Mines, NFC Africa Mining, Chambeshi Copper Smelter, Chambeshi Metals, Sino Metals and Bollore Africa Mining.

The investigations team took four days to collect samples from all water reservoirs and dams where the firms dispose off their effluents.

The discovery of the sulphate on Monday last week forced Nkana Water and Sewerage Company to shutdown its water supply to its customers for two days, leaving Kitwe's over 500,000 residents without clean running water.

The supply was only restored after the utility neutralised the sulphate.

The pollution is believed to have happened in the Mwambashi stream in Chingola District.

The investigators further believe that the contaminated water flowed from the Mwambashi stream to the Kafue river where Nkana Water and Sewerage Company detected it.

Environmental Inspectors Start Probe On Kafue River Pollution

ZEMA inspectors picking samples at Mutimpa Tailings Dam

By Paul Shalala in Chingola

The Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) has commenced investigations to establish the mining firm which polluted the Kafue river with sulphur forcing the Nkana Water and Sewerage Company to shutdown water supply to Kitwe for two days.

On Monday, the utility detected high levels of sulphur in the river and shutdown its water supply to Zambia's second largest city Kitwe, leaving its over 500,000 residents without water.

Water was only restored late on Wednesday after Nkana Water and Sewerage Company neutralised the sulphur in its reservoirs.

According to the utility, sulphur was discharged into the Mwambashi stream and it flowed into the Kafue river where the utility gets its water for residents of the mining towns of Chambeshi, Kitwe and Kalulushi.

Bivan Saluseki, the spokesperson for Nkana Water and Sewerage Company said the shutdown was done to protect people's lives and the firm was doing everything possible to ensure no one is harmed.

And Kitwe District Commissioner Chanda has pointed the blame at Konkola Copper Mines (KCM), the country's largest mining investor which runs mines in several towns on the Copperbelt region.

"As government we will not allow KCM to continue polluting our water sources. We shall put up punitive measures to stop this practice," said Mr Kabwe in a telephone interview.

KCM is a subsidiary of Vedanta Resources PLC, a London-listed mining firm.

The firm runs the Konkola and Nchanga mines in Chingola.

Today, a team of inspectors from ZEMA visited Muntimpa Tailings Dam in Chingola's Kasompe area to test the water for sulphur.

Muntimpa is the largest tailings dam in Zambia and its estimated to hold over two million cubic meters of tailings material from KCM's operations.

The dam contains both natural water from nearby streams and effluent from the mines.

Water from this dam flows into the Mwambashi stream which discharges its water into the Kafue, one of Zambia's largest river

Water flows out of Mutimpa Dam into the Mwambashi stream

The inspectors were led by Ray Chafilwa, a Kitwe-based ZEMA inspector.

They collected water samples from various points on the dam and also tested the water for acidity.

The collected water has been taken to a laboratory and results from the samples are expected to be released tomorrow.

This is the second time environmental inspectors from ZEMA have inspected KCM facilities within 24 hours.

KCM is not new to allegations of polluting rivers on the Copperbelt.

It has in the past been convicted and fined by Zambian courts for pollution.

Currently, there is an ongoing court case on KCM and its parent company Vedanta in London were activists have sued the Indian-owned mining giant on behalf of the over 1,800 Zambian residents who have been affected by the alleged pollution.