Speech of
the Hon. Devanand Virahsawmy, GOSK. FCCA
Minister of
Environment & Sustainable Development
on the occasion of the
Technical Workshop on Hazardous Waste
Management in Mauritius
on
Thursday 31 May 2012 at 09.00 hrs
Clos St. Louis, Domaine Les Pailles
Hon. Hervé Aimée, Minister of Local Government & Outer Islands,
Lord Mayor, Dr. Mahmad Kodabaccus
Mr. Henry Jeanne, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Local
Government & Outer Islands
Chief Executives of Local Authorities
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
It is with pleasure that I am addressing you this morning on the occasion
of the opening of this Validation Workshop on the Inventory of
Hazardous Wastes in Mauritius.
Ladies & Gentlemen
I would like at the outset to commend the Ministry of Local Government
& Outer Islands for this laudable initiative in developing a national
inventory of hazardous wastes. Here I refer to a common adage , “If you
can’t measure it, you can’t manage it”. I am convinced that, as we are
now in presence of an updated estimate of the amounts of hazardous
wastes generated, we are better equipped to develop the appropriate
policies and strategies for managing such wastes.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Effective control of the generation, storage, treatment, recycling and
reuse, transport, recovery and disposal of hazardous wastes is of
paramount importance for the good health of the population,
environmental protection and sustainable development.
The core
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philosophy of the Environment Protection Act 2002 which fosters
environmental stewardship requires the active
involvement
and
participation of all economic players including business, industry and the
community at large.
The management of hazardous wastes is governed by the Environment
Protection (Standards for Hazardous Wastes) Regulations 2001.
However, the major constraints in the implementation of the current
regulations have been the limited treatment and disposal capacity for
hazardous wastes. To this end, my Ministry is currently reviewing these
regulations in consultation with the State Law Office.
The revised
regulations will be in line with the model legislation developed by the
Basel Convention on the control of trans-boundary movement of
hazardous wastes.
The revised regulations will cater for, amongst others:
a)
hazardous waste generators to export the wastes that cannot be
treated or disposed of locally;
b)
the harmonization of labeling with International Maritime Transport
of Dangerous Goods CodingP;
c)
the transit of hazardous waste through Mauritius;
d)
Addressing illegal traffic of hazardous wastes;
e)
Sampling and testing procedures.
Moreover, with a view to promoting a clean and green environment and
mitigating the associated adverse health and environmental impacts
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from industrial wastes, my Ministry has promulgated the Environment
Protection (Industrial Waste Audit) Regulations 2008.
Under these regulations, targeted industries have to conduct an
inventory of, inter alia, hazardous wastes generated and, if required,
implement an environmental management plan. Presently, some 580
industries have submitted their audit reports, among which around 170
enterprises
have
been
management plans.
solicited
to
submit
their
environmental
These regulations also aim at promoting the
adoption of cleaner production techniques by industries.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Mauritius has ratified major conventions relating to chemicals and
wastes.
Besides being party to the Basel Convention, we are also
signatory of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants
since 2001.
In this context, Government has developed, with the
assistance from the Global Environment Facility and the United Nations
Development Programme, a National Implementation Plan in 2005. It
sets out the ways and means to reduce and eliminate Persistent Organic
Pollutants including clean-up and prevention of future accumulation of
such pollutants. Implementation of this plan is underway and so far
Mauritius has achieved considerable progress. In fact, a large stock of
more than 100 tons of DDT pesticide has recently been sent to France
for disposal.
Furthermore, three DDT contaminated sites are being
presently cleaned up.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
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Unsustainable consumption and production is one of the major global
problems.
It is not only depleting the planet’s resources but is also
increasing the generation of wastes resulting in threats to the human
health and the environment.
My Ministry, with the support of
stakeholders from both the public and private sectors, is implementing
the National Sustainable and Consumption (SCP) Programme (20082013). This programme is a stepping stone to achieving sustainable
development in Mauritius.
The overall aim of the National SCP
Programme is to bring a change in consumption and production patterns
while increasing resource efficiency, thus promoting a more sustainable
lifestyle.
Integrated solid waste management is one of the strategic
priorities that form the focus of the SCP framework.
With a view to ensuring that the objectives of the SCP are met, my
Ministry has recently carried out an extensive mid-term revision of the
Programme.
This exercise has allowed us to assess the progress
achieved so far while identifying barriers and constraints that are
hindering its implementation.
It has also offered the opportunity to
explore new avenues and project areas.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I wish to emphasize again that the reduction and elimination of
emissions and discharge of hazardous substances can only be achieved
through the active collaboration of all stakeholders.
Environmental
management fails if we do not forge ahead together hand in hand.
In this context, my Ministry has participated in a number of activities
aiming at sensitising the public on:
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a)
the collection of mobile phones and used batteries for recycling
purposes;
b)
the launching of the waste segregation programme in schools; and
c)
the adoption of sustainable lifestyles for promoting the 3 Rs concept
i.e. Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
As you are aware, in 2008, the Hon. Prime Minister launched the
Maurice Ile Durable concept as a long term vision integrating the
economic, environmental and social development of the country. In the
quest to making Mauritius a world model of sustainable development, we
are in the process of finalising a National Policy and 10-Year Strategy for
a sustainable Mauritius which will be accompanied by a 3-Year Action
Plan.
In parallel, a MID Fund is also operational to finance, among others,
schemes for the preservation of natural resources, such as the solar
water heaters for households, and photo voltaic panels for Government
& private secondary schools.
In the same vein, the promotion of
sustainable consumption and production is one of the priorities of the
MID project, including efficient use of resources, cleaner production,
sustainable public service practices and increase in the use of
sustainable products.
Let me point out here that the RIO +20 Conference which will be held
from 20 to 22 June 2012 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, will be an opportunity
for Mauritius to show case to the world the actions being taken to
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promote sustainable development in the country. This will also be a
unique occasion to present to the international community the MID
concept as a multi-faceted and holistic approach to promote economic,
environmental and social development based on the 5 Es i.e. Energy,
Environment, Education, Employment and Equity.
Before ending, let me assure all participants that my Ministry is fully
committed to pursue the path of sustainable development so as to
translate the “Maurice Ile Durable” concept into concrete actions. For
this to happen, it is imperative to have the collaborative efforts of all the
partners and especially the private sector.
This year, the theme for the World Environment Day (WED) is ‘Green
Economy, does it include you’.
I invite you all to reflect on this
important theme and seek your usual partnership to implement
measures towards a better sustained future.
On this note, I wish you fruitful deliberation for this workshop.
Thank you for your attention.
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