Zambia’s National Implementation Plan (NIP) for the management of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs).

This National Implementation Plan (NIP) for the management of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) is the first nationwide sectoral document that, together with a country profile outlining the geographical, demographic, political, economic, and environmental overview of Zambia, presents an outline of the current status of the institutional, policy and regulatory framework relevant to issues of POPs, as well as an assessment of these issues. The proposed NIP implementation, especially PCDDs and PCDFs Action Plans, will not only result in the elimination of POPs but will also result in reduced greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to mitigating climate change. The 2004 inventory findings formed the basis for prioritizing issues concerning the management of POPs. The priority areas related to POPs production, use/disposal in the country include (i) pollution of inland/ground waters, air, soils, and foods; (ii) treatment of hazardous waste; (iii) control of chemical imports; (iv) emergency preparedness; (v) occupational health and safety of workers in the agricultural, industrial and transport sectors. Furthermore, in Zambia, open-air burning is widespread and estimated to be the main source of PCDDs/PCDFs. Thus, this NIP considers several strategies aimed at mitigating this problem. The main issues identified in the management of POPs in Zambia are (i) developing a system for management and control of Chlordane; (ii) developing effective management of PCBs; (iii) evaluating the persistence of DDT in different matrices including soil, water, food, and breast milk; (iv) strengthen the existing legal framework to address PCDD and PCDF releases. The NIP has the following steps to be done to achieve the goal (1) recognize the risks posed by POPs to human health and the environment, implement a progressive reduction in usage and eventual elimination of all stocks of PCBs, DDT, and Chlordane, and minimize exposure of the Zambian people to unintentionally produced dioxins and furans; (2) raise awareness through public education and communication of POPs related issues to all stakeholders and the public; (3) integrate POPs management strategies with other existing strategies on hazardous waste and national solid waste strategies to achieve a harmonized approach to environmental management; (4) continuous participation in all international efforts to meet obligations of the Convention. The implementation of the various action plans ranges from short-term (one to five years); medium-term (five to ten years), and long-term (more than ten years). The majority of activities in the NIP fall under short and medium-term timeframes.
The Action Plan envisages measures in the following areas (i) production, import and export, use, stockpiles and wastes of pesticides POPs (Annex A, Part 1 Chemicals); (ii) production, import and export, use, Identification, Labelling, Removal, storage and disposal of PCBs and equipment containing PCBs (Annex A, Part II Chemicals); (iii) production, import and export, use, stockpiles and wastes of DDT (Annex B Chemicals); (iv) releases from unintentional production of PCDDs/PCDFs, HCB, and PCBs; (v) identification and appropriate management of contaminated sites; (vi) public awareness, information, and training; (vii) monitoring POPs and reporting mechanisms to the COP; (viii) periodic review and mechanisms for annual POPs updates; (ix) research, development, and capacity building.
The national lead agency in the implementation of the NIP will be the Environmental Council of Zambia (ECZ), the National Focal Point in matters related to the sound management of chemicals, which provides a technical competence base for information exchange with international, regional, subregional, national, and local stakeholder institutions.