BCC to monitor industrial pollution

• Demolishes makeshift stalls

Blantyre City Council (BCC) will soon embark on pollution monitoring exercise targeting trade effluent from all industries, Acting Chief Executive Officer for the Council Alfred Chanza has announced.

In a Press Release, Chanza said the excise is one way of ensuring that the city is environmentally safe and clean.

Said Chanza “the council has noted that industrialisation has rapidly grown and its polluting impact on the environment has also increased.  This is putting pressure on the environment and natural resources, resulting in rapid deterioration on the city’s environmental system.”

He said this kind of substantial loss needed to be reversed for sustainable economic growth of the city.

Among others the Council will be doing thorough inspection of the activities being carried out by institutions, follow up on institution’s wastewater system up to the point of connection to Blantyre City Council’s sewer line/trunk sewer.

Chanza said companies and institutions will be required to pay monthly trade effluent charges in accordance to city by-laws.

Commenting on the issue, the Council’s spokesperson Anthony Kasunda urged companies and institutions to corporate with Council officials when they visit their premises.

“This is to help control the levels of pollution from various companies, institutions and industries and hold those responsible for these emerging challenges accountable in pursuance of the Public Health Act,” said Kasunda.

In another development, the Blantyre City council has from last night embarked on a demolition campaign on vendors’ makeshift shelters outside Limbe Market.

Confirming to Nation Online, Kasunda said the vendors have been warned to leave the premises but some are resisting hence the demolition.

“It is dangerous for vendors to construct shelters close to such a busy road and we are doing this to avoid accidents,” said Kasunda.

Blantyre City Council officers and the police have for a period of time been involved in running battles with vendors as they try to engage in clean up exercises for the vendors not to sell their merchandise along the streets but in the flea market which the vendors claim is too small to accommodate them all.