The Environmental Council of Zambia (ECZ), a statutory body in Zambia, has conducted two courses for environmental inspectors in legal aspects of prosecuting environmental violations. Initially, it trained eleven inspectors in 2000; and in 2003, it trained fifteen more inspectors. Topics included environmental law, criminal procedures, evidence that should be adduced in an environmental case (for example, to prove that a river was polluted). Other components of the training include taking samples upstream and downstream, testing of samples by third parties, visual inspection for damage, establishing chain of custody, and utilising methods of analysis established under the Zambia Bureau of Standards. This training enables the officers to go to court and prosecute environmental violations.
For more information on the training, contact ECZ at ecz@necz.org.zm. For specific issues concerning standards, pollution parameters, and methods of analysis contact the Zambia Bureau of Standards at zabs@zamnet.zm