EMA condemns Chisumbanje ethanol plant

The ethanol plant in Chisumbanje was built without an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study having been conducted, Parliament heard on Tuesday.
Green Fuel built the $600 million plant under a Build Operate Transfer (BOT) agreement with the Agriculture and Rural Development Authority (ARDA).
The biggest in Africa, the plant has capacity to produce 120 000 litres of fuel daily and to generate 18 megawatts of electricity.
The plant has ceased operations as uptake of the blended fuel on the local market has been low.
Environmental Management Agency (EMA) director for environmental protection Petronella Shoko told the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that acidic effluent was polluting water sources in the area.
“The Chisumbanje ethanol plant is a welcome development but it proceeded without an EIA,” she said.
“The problem at the moment is that the quality of effluent from the plant is very acidic which is now affecting animals.”
Shoko said EMA had since ordered that mitigatory measures be taken to minimise damage to the environment and animals.
Meanwhile, EMA director general Mutsa Chasi told the same committee that most companies were wilfully breaking environmental regulations as fines imposed were not deterrent enough.
Chasi said there was need to tighten the Environmental Management Act to close loopholes that hinder the agency from curbing environmental crime.
She said there was need to capacitate the agency to ensure that it fully implemented its mandate.
“Last year we carried out 15 000 inspections resulting in improvement in refuse collections by 60 percent.
“Awareness raising campaigns on fires have resulted in 25 percent in fire destruction between 2010 and 2011,” said Chasi. — New Ziana.