By Helen Zulu –

THE Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) has said it is having problems in regulating some facilities under the new Environment Management Act (EMA).

ZEMA spokesperson Ireen Chipili said the agency was facing teething problems in implementing the new law as many facilities did not understand what the Act stated.

EMA provides for integrated environmental management and the protection and conservation of the environment and the sustainable management and use of natural resources and also provide for the preparation of the State of Environment Report.

Ms Chipili said in an interview at the ongoing 88th Zambia Agriculture and Commercial show in Lusaka since the agency started using the new Act to regulate the facilities in November last year, it had been facing teething problems because it was still making the facilities understand the new regulations.

“In terms of awareness we are making headway as we have received a lot of complaints from the general public meaning that people understand.

“When Government passed the new law, we could not use it because it was incompatible with the regulations until November last year that is when we started using it. So because it’s a new law we are still getting the companies to understand the regulations,” she said.

Ms Chipili said the enactment of the EMA presented an opportunity for the paradigm shift of the environmental management in Zambia, saying this would require strong partnership between ZEMA and all stakeholders including the public at large.

She said the repeal of the Environmental Protection and Pollution Control (EPPCA) did not include the repeal of the Statutory Instruments (SIs).

Ms Chipili said an exercise would be underway to amend existing SIs to bring them to date with the new Act.

She said in addition there were several new standards, guidelines and regulations that would be promulgated to effectively implement the provisions of the new Act.

“ZEMA is committed to continued improvement in the provision of environmental management services under the new EMA. We want to make sure that your facility is environmental friendly,” Ms Chipili said.