By Synd Kalimbuka
Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development, Roza Fatch Mbilizi, says the government will enforce waste management laws against Presscane Limited following revelations of poor raw effluent disposal at the company’s ethanol production facility in Chikwawa District.
Mbilizi made the remarks on Monday during a visit she undertook with Minister of Natural Resources, Alfred Gangata, after a joint inspection by the Malawi Bureau of Standards (MBS), National Water Resources Authority (NWRA) and Malawi Environmental Protection Authority (MEPA).
“As government, we will use waste management laws. Raw effluent management here is very poor and it is affecting crops, the environment and even people’s health,” said Mbilizi, adding that Presscane Limited failed to address concerns raised by regulators during earlier inspections.
MEPA’s Environment, Information and Education Manager, Aubren Chirwa, said the company has committed multiple violations under the Environmental Management Act.
He added that Presscane will be fined for some of the violations, while others will be decided after consultations with the Ministry of Natural Resources and NWRA, noting that it is premature to state whether the company’s licence will be revoked.
Presscane Limited Chief Executive Officer, Bryson Mkhomaanthu, said one of the company’s ponds burst following heavy rains on Tuesday last week, but the company moved in quickly with its equipment to stop the leakage and mitigate the effects.
