National Implementation Plan for the management of Persistent Organic Pollutants.

The National Implementation Plan for the management of Persistent Organic Pollutants aims at protecting public health and the environment. The timeframe of this NIP is 5 years between 2006 and 2010. The national POPs management priorities are: (I) disposal of existing POPs pesticide waste; (II) awareness raising on POPs pesticides and the need for their safe management and disposal; (III) taking appropriate steps to respond to the addition of new chemicals to the list of POPs in the Convention; (IV) maintaining and updating national inventories of POPs pesticides; (V) establishing administrative procedures for the control and regulation of the importation of PCBs; (VI) conclusively ascertaining the presence of PCBs in equipment that has been identified as potentially PCB-containing; (VII) disposal of PCB-containing equipment no longer in use in an environmentally sound manner; (VIII) development of plans for phase-out and disposal of PCB-containing equipment still in use; (IX) maintaining and updating national inventories of PCBs; (X) promoting the use of Best Available Techniques and Best Environmental Practices to reduce emissions of dioxins and furans from waste incinerators; (XI) requiring the use of Best Available Techniques and Best Environmental Practices at new facilities likely to generate dioxins and furans; (XII) improving the quality of data on emissions of dioxins and furans; and (XIII) maintaining and updating national inventories of dioxins and furans.
A comprehensive regulatory mechanism will be developed for chemicals management as an essential priority for the effective implementation of the Stockholm Convention. Legal measures will be taken to prohibit the production, use, import and export of POPs pesticides, with the exception of export for environmentally sound disposal. The Environmental Protection Department will submit a recommendation to the Pesticides Control Board to ban or severely restrict POPs pesticides. Administrative measures will be undertaken to prohibit the import and export of PCBs and PCB-containing equipment. PCBs will be added to the list of commodities on licence. The use of Best Available Techniques and Best Environmental Practices will be promoted to reduce or eliminate releases from unintentional production and use. The Best Available Techniques and Best Environmental Practices considerations will be included in the National Physical Development Plan as part of the EIA process for new source facilities. Source inventories and release estimates will be developed and maintained. Data collection will be strengthened for effective monitoring of the presence of PCBs in the environment, in food or human tissues, or on health impacts potentially related to PCB contamination. An electronic database will be developed to update the inventories of intentionally- and unintentionally-produced POPs. The effectiveness of measures taken to reduce releases of unintentionally-produced POPs will be reviewed. Waste disposal will be strengthened to reduce or eliminate releases from wastes and stockpiles. Potentially PCB-containing equipment will be screened to determine the presence and concentration of PCBs. Guidelines will be developed for the management of PCB-containing equipment. POPs pesticides waste will be disposed in an environmentally sound manner. The inventories of POPs pesticides and PCBs will be updated. Pesticides storage and stock management regulations will be developed. Training in pesticides stock management will be provided to agricultural workers. Education and public awareness programmes will be conducted about banned and severely restricted pesticides in general, and POPs pesticides specifically. This NIP will be reviewed in 2010 and regular reporting will be carried out on activities and measures taken to achieve compliance with the Stockholm Convention.