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Impose stiffer penalties on environmental polluters, EMA told

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AUDITOR-GENERAL (AG) Mildred Chiri has called on the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) to impose stiffer environmental pollution on mining companies and enforce compliance with the environmental impact assessments (EIAs).

AUDITOR-GENERAL (AG) Mildred Chiri has called on the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) to impose stiffer environmental pollution on mining companies and enforce compliance with the environmental impact assessments (EIAs).

BY VENERANDA LANGA

An audit of environmental enforcement, which she carried out and was tabled in Parliament last week, indicated EMA’s penalty system was non deterrent enough.

The report noted that companies such as Anjin Investment and Marange Resources continued to pollute the Odzi River even after being penalised.

Mildred-Chiri

“EMA is a signatory to the United Nations Environment Programme Multilateral Environment Agreement Guideline 40(c), which states that the governments must impose appropriate and proportionate penalties for environmental law violations, which would encourage compliance by raising the cost of non-compliance above that of compliance,” she said.

“For environmental crime, additional deterrent effect can be obtained through sanctions such as imprisonment, fines, confiscation of equipment and other materials, disbarment from practice or trade and confiscation of the proceeds of environmental crime.

“Therefore, EMA should comply with these international regulations on environmental pollution.”

EMA is said to be charging $20 to $5 000 for environmental crimes. Chiri also recommended that EMA should engage the Justice ministry to ensure environmental cases were heard on time. She said establishment of environmental courts should be considered.

The AG’s report revealed that from a total of 1 468 mining projects granted EIA certificates from 2009 to 2012, EMA only managed to conduct 372 audits (13%) giving a variance of 2 564 (87%).

The report also said from a blitz conducted in eight provinces from 2010 to 2012, 986 mines were operating without EIAs.

“For effective monitoring and control of environmental pollution, there is need for EMA to comply with Section 4(2)(g) of the Environmental Management Act to ensure that offenders meet the costs of remedying such pollution or environmental degradation and any resultant adverse health effects.”