By NDANGWA MWITTAH
GOVERNMENT says it recognises the serious danger that mercury poses to human health and the environment if not well managed.
Minister of Lands, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Harry Kalaba said Government is convinced that there is need to take global action to mitigate the dangers of mercury contamination.
Speaking when he officiated at the launch of a national inception workshop on ratification and early implementation of the Minamata Convention on Mercury in Lusaka yesterday, Mr Kalaba called for a speedy ratification process.
“It has become imperative to ensure that the signing, ratification and eventual domestication of this convention is effectuated,” Mr Kalaba said.
Government, through the Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) in collaboration with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), is implementing a project on ratification and early implementation of the Minamata Convention on Mercury in Zambia, focusing on legal preparations and setting priorities for its early implementation.
Zambia joined the rest of the world in October last year in Kumamoto, Japan, to sign the Minamata Convention on Mercury whose objective is to protect human health and the environment from anthropogenic emissions and releases of mercury and its compounds.
Mr Kalaba also thanked the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and other co-operating partners for their support towards the development of the mercury release inventory for Zambia using the UNEP toolkit for identification and quantification of mercury releases.
“This process has assisted the country to identify priority areas which require further development and streamlining. These areas include oil and gas production, primary metal production and waste management,” Mr Kalaba said.
He said the project is timely because it will enable the country to prepare for the ratification of the convention.
ZEMA director general Joseph Sakala said the agency will endeavour to protect people’s lives by ensuring an environment free of dangerous emissions.
“This includes addressing commitments that the country has made or will make to ratify international agreements as well as take measures to give effect to the agreements,” Mr Sakala said.
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