Environmental commissioner Timoteus Mufeti says his office is facing several challenges in its efforts to ensure that the provisions of the Environmental Management Act (7 of 2007) are adhered to.
Mufeti made these remarks during a panel discussion titled ‘Shaping the Future of Environmental Governance: Challenges and Opportunities’ which followed the official launch of the fifth edition of the fully revised ‘Environmental Law and Policy in Namibia’ in Windhoek recently.
He said his office has received applications for environmental impact assessments (EIAs) from people who deal with human resources issues.
“[These people] are not experts in this field,” Mufeti said.
The commissioner said his office also lacks the expertise needed to properly screen EIA applications and that there is a need for the office to operate independently.
Currently, the office is under the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism.
Mufeti said generally, Namibia also lacks well-trained people to deal with hazardous waste, which needs to be well managed.
He added that Namibia has noted of the importance of a circular economy concept, but the ministry is still at the initial stage of developing such a policy for Namibia.
He said the Environmental Management Act also needs to be revised to effectively respond to both current and emerging environmental challenges.
