The Parliamentary Committee on Energy, Environment and Tourism has urged  Chilanga Cement PLC to ensure that the rehabilitation of the Electro-static precipitator (ESP) is completed within the stipulated period.  
 
The committee said this when it toured the plant to check on what the company was doing to reduce air pollution as a result of emissions from the cement production.  
 
Committee Chairman Sakwiba Sikota (Livingstone ULP MP) said  Chilanga Cement should be mindful of the effect of the emissions to the environment and the health of the residents.  
 
But  Chilanga Cement PLC plant manager Ndola works, Jean Yves Clement said the company was committed to ensuring that the deadline of completing the works by the end of this year was met.  
 
He said the company was working on mechanical and electrical aspects of the equipment, which would be blended with new equipment ordered from abroad.  
 
Mr Clement said if the purchased equipment did not arrive on time, the company would modify the old equipment in an effort to reduce dust emissions to acceptable levels.  
 
He said rehabilitation was in two phases of which the first phase had been completed.  
 
Mr Clement said the other works should be completed between September and October this year.  
 
He said the company had embarked on a number of rehabilitation works like improving noise levels and modernising the loading, which could not allow shutting production because of the high demand for cement in the country.  
 
Mr Clement said such works would be completed after the Lusaka Plant was in full operation because it was the Ndola Plant that was feeding the high demand in Lusaka.  
 
"There is a lot of rehabilitation works that are pending because the marketing trend of cement can’t allow because the demand is high but as soon as the Lusaka Plant is fully operational, we should be able to speed up the works," Mr Clement said.  
 
He said major rehabilitation works should be completed by mid next year.  
 
At Ndola Lime Company, the committee was impressed with the proposed measures put in place to curb dust emissions by replacing the old Rotary and vertical kilns and the hydrator.  
 
The replacement of the equipment is part of the recapitalisation programme the company has embarked on.  
 
The committee was also impressed that Ndola Lime Company was well run by indigenous Zambia.  
 
Namwala Member of Parliament (UPND) Major Robby Chizyuka said it was gratifying to see the company being managed by Zambians, a sign that the indigenous were capable of making a difference in the economic development of the country.