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Ivan Zhakata Herald Correspondent
The Environmental Management Agency (EMA) has dismissed reports that it requires a licence for people using generators at household level or for domestic purposes.
This follows reports that EMA needs a licence for the operation of any generator above 5kVA which caused panic among the public that were using generators for domestic purposes.
EMA Environmental Education and Publicity Manager Ms Amkela Sidange said only industrial and commercial generators attract a levy.
“As a matter of fact, Section 64 of the Environmental Management Act (Cap 20:27) clearly stipulates that, “no owner or operator of a trade or any establishment shall emit a substance or energy which causes or is likely to cause air pollution without an emission licence”, thus clearly indicating that this is an operation at commercial level or for industrial use,” she said.
Ms Sidange said the appliance of operation is further buttressed under Statutory Instrument 72 of 2009 (Environmental Management [Atmospheric Pollution Control] Regulations, 2009), where an appliance means any stationary fuel-burning appliance or apparatus which is capable of consuming more than 5 kilogrammes per hour of fuel or other combustible matter, whether such fuel or combustible matter is in a solid, liquid or gaseous state.
“In this case, a generator becomes the appliance and if it is consuming more than 5kg per hour of fuel, and being used for commercial purposes or industrial use, then it must be licenced by the Agency.”
She said prevention of air pollution dovetails towards the fight against climate change where Zimbabwe wanted to achieve the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), of 40 percent per capita emissions reduction across all sectors of the economy by 2030.
Online Reporter