Tororo dust emissions anger
The Ugandan District Environment Officer, Mr John Gongo, has said Tororo Cement Industry Ltd faces closure due to the continued disposal of large amounts of dust in the air during the night. He said the industry has continued to defy regulations by the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) despite several warnings to stop.
"These people are taking advantage of night time to dispose of large amounts of dust in the air which is illegal, they are defying the NEMA regulations that stipulate that industries use an ESP to dispose dust," he said while addressing journalists during a two-week course in environmental journalism at Rock Classic Hotel in Tororo recently. He said that they have received numerous complaints from residents complaining of the large amounts of dust let out night that pollute the environment and are afraid that this could likely lead to health hazards. The Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) and Makerere University Mass Communication Department sponsored the Course.
TCI, however, denies the allegations. "Those allegations are not true, we have stringent measures put in place to control the large amounts of dust, I find this amusing because the environmental inspectors have never approached us at one time complaining therefore, we are wondering where he has got such information from," TCI Finance & Admin. Manager Breg Gagrani told Daily Monitor.
He said TCI has not received any complaints from both residents and the district’s environmental inspectors about the matter. TCI is the largest producer of cement in Uganda; other products include galvanised and coloured iron sheets, nails and other steel products. He dismissed the allegations as "rumours to tarnish the image of the industry" because they have never at one time deposited large amounts of dust in the air during day or nighttime. Published under Cement News
