BMC admits tannery is a pong

This concern was expressed by the Safety, Health and Environment (SHE) manager of the BMC, Modiri Garenamotse, who has acknowledged that industrial chemicals used in tanneries do have adverse effects on human health and the environment. Nevertheless, Garenamotse says the BMC is unlikely to close the tannery on account of environmental concerns because it is averse to the idea of completely losing the resource that leather is.

Speaking at a workshop on leather dyeing and finishing in the COMESA/SADC region that is taking place at the President Hotel in Gaborone yesterday, Garenamotse said the BMC tannery consists of the tanning plant, a wastewater treatment plant (currently not functioning), evaporation ponds, a sludge disposal area and a sludge disposal dump that is currently on Lobatse Town Council (LTC) land.