Malawi concerned about ozone-depleting substances

Government says it is concerned about ozone-depleting substances (ODS) and has since been implementing measures aimed at mitigating the trend.

Principal secretary for Environment and Climate Change Management Yanira Ntupanyama said Malawi being a signatory to the Vienna Convention and the Montreal Protocol, the country is required to phase out the use of ODS in refrigeration and air- conditioning sectors.

She was speaking during the opening of a training workshop for refrigeration technicians in Blantyre on Monday.

“We are concerned about ODS because scientific studies reveal that these chemicals have the potential of reacting with the ozone molecules, which act as a shield by filtering harmful ultraviolet radiation,” said Ntupanyama.

Also speaking, director of environmental affairs in the ministry Aloysius Kampelewera said the ozone hole over the Antarctica is healing, an indication that changes in practice are bearing fruit.

“The ministry has, so far, trained over 400 refrigeration technicians in good refrigeration practices. It has further provided necessary toolkits to assist the technicians in servicing refrigeration appliances,” he said, adding that four centres of excellence have been established in the country.

Kampelewera said due to changes in technologies, some countries have ODS, which they sell at lower prices.

He warned that Malawi, as a developing country, is prone to receiving such illegal stockpiles.

Refrigeration Association of Malawi coordinator Marvin Kamthunzi thanked government for the the initiative to train the technicians, saying they will in turn train others.