NAMWALA COMMUNITY URGED TO OPEN FILING STATION

Namwala District Commissioner, Gevar Nsanzya, has appealed to the business community to take advantage of the relaxed standards and requirements of setting up a filing station set by the Energy Regulation Board (ERB) by opening a filling station in Namwala district.

Mr. Nsanzya said that ERB has put up relaxed standards for rural areas to allow the rural districts have filling stations as compared to requirements of setting urban service stations.

Mr. Nsanya made the appeal when he officially opened a meeting on ERB functions in Namwala yesterday.

He further said the lack of a filling station in Namwala district has posed a lot of challenges for consumers such as government departments, business houses and others as they have to access fuel and lubricants from Choma and Monze districts which are about 400 kilometers away.

Mr. Nsanzya stated that this has resulted in the proliferation of illegal fuel vending, adding that illegal fuel can damage motor vehicles as it is usually mixed with other harmful substances.

The DC also expressed worry that storing fuel at homes poses risks to people and property in communities as fuel is highly flammable.

Mr. Nsanzya has since commended government for promoting the use of alternative energy sources such as solar, liquefied Petroleum Gas, (LPG), bio fuels and bio gas, among many others, as a mitigation measure against the power shortage.

Namwala district is endowed with a huge cattle population thereby providing a huge potential for bios gas production, which can be used to generate electricity.

The Namwala District Commissioner further noted that government has reduced taxes on energy conservation equipment such as solar panels and generator sets among others and has been promoting the domestic use of LPG for cooking and heating.

ZANIS