The Ministry of Environment will work within the legislative framework to ensure businesses comply with the various legislations.
Ministry permanent secretary Joshua Wycliffe alluded to this yesterday after he announced that the ministry had issued prohibition notices to cement factories operating in Lami.
Tangy Cement and Pacific Cement Ltd were issued prohibition notices after the ministry suspected that the dust emitted from their operations may not be of national air quality standard.
The ministry had sent out specific surveillance teams to both factories and they had returned with reports that noted that dust emitted from the factories may not have met the national air quality standards.
Mr Wycliffe said the notices were issued to the companies 24 hours from their latest report.
He said he did not have the authority to forcefully and physically stop the business from operating but he hoped they would adhere to the notice and work towards fixing the problem.
According to Mr Wycliffe if the companies failed to comply with the notice then their next option would be to follow prosecutorial process, adding that the ministry now had its own environmental prosecutors who had the authority to prosecute the companies for the non-compliance.
Mr Wycliffe said although the residents of Lami had raised their concern against the environmental hazard, they still wanted businesses to flourish but not at the cost of any threat to the environment or their health.
He is expected to meet both company representatives today on the issue.
