By Sylvester Kumwenda

Dowa, August 23, Mana: Dowa Director of Planning and Development, Mercy Mpakule, has urged the District Environmental Sub Committee (DESC) to provide thorough environmental impact scrutiny for projects that will have effects on the environment to protect the same.

Mpakule made the remarks Tuesday during a DESC consultative meeting held in the district with consultants of firms that have projects in the district.

“When we are having a project in the district that will have an impact on the environment, it is the responsibility of this committee to learn more of the project and analyze it. We need to see if the impact is detrimental to the environment and the people.

“It is not a must that we approve anything, but rather make sure that whatever is accepted is safe for the environment and our people. If anything goes wrong, it will be our fault, so we need to be careful in analysing projects,” Mpakule advised DESC members.

She further said it was high time issues of environmental safeguards are taken seriously in all the projects being implemented in the district.

The planning director also advised project implementers to ensure they protect their workers from harm by, among other things, providing them with essential personal protective equipment.

During the meeting, computing consultants made a presentation on behalf of Ferrous Engineering Limited on the potential of Choma Gypsum Project which intends to develop a gypsum mining at Chola in Traditional Authority Kayembe in the district.

There was also a discussion with RUO Consultants who have been hired by the Roads Fund Administration to design four additional tollgates and supervise the works, one of which will be constructed at Nkhamanga in Dowa.

“These are category two types of projects and require environmental and social management plan.

“So, our coming here is to consult the council on concerns, expectations and fears amongst other things in terms of environmental and social management as regards the construction of the tollgate so that the Roads Fund Administration should take these into consideration,” said a RUO Consultant, Robert Masina, during the meeting.