Chemical waste management to compliment Malawi's clean-up campaign
Chemical and waste management aims to address the challenges related to pollution emanating from wanton disposal of waste related products.
A team comprising staff from Environmental Affairs Department and communication practitioners during the initial message development process
DOWA, Malawi (Planet Defence) - Malawi is implementing chemical waste management project aimed at strengthening institutional capacity to plan, monitor and coordinate policies, strategies and national programmes as part of pollution containment.
The United Nations Environment Programme funded project will result in increased awareness of the public and decision makers on the life cycle of chemicals and waste, participatory management by the public and functional integrated information management system which is accessible by all.
“We noted that chemicals haven’t had the limelight as other issues being given much spotlight in general. Therefore, the project highlighted that chemicals are important and they need to be managed properly in order to protect human health and the environment,” Caroline Theka, Chemical Waste Management Coordinator at Environmental Affairs Department said during a working session on message development in Dowa recently.
Theka added that as issues of waste management are getting complex with the increasing human population. It is high time that we scale-up awareness on how the local populace can integrate chemical and waste management in their daily life.
Renowned broadcaster Charles Chikapa under scored a need for more enhanced and coherent awareness creation on issues of chemicals and waste control in the country.
“We need a paradigm shift in the manner we are handling wastes especially chemicals for the betterment of humanity,” Chikapa said in an interview.
This is of paramount importance to curb pollution that is affecting different ecosystems and posing a threat to humanity. This has a direct bearing on the economy and development in general.
In November, 2020 President Lazarus Mac Carthy Chakwera launched the National Clean – Up day. The rationale for designating the day was to ensure a healthy environment for all Malawians as enshrined in the constitution.
Malawi’s has a number of regulatory frameworks that are in line with chemical waste management and the overarching one include the Environment Management Act, 2017.