Kampala — Spraying of the controversial DDT to fight Malaria in the country is expected to start in three months time.

The announcement was made yesterday during a press conference at the National Environment Management Authority (Nema) head office in Kampala.

Nema, which is a semi autonomous government agency responsible for coordinating, monitoring and supervising all environment-related activities in the country, approved the reintroduction of DDT for indoor residual spraying of mosquitoes for malaria control on December 23, 2006.

However, it has set conditions which the Ministry of Health (MoH) has to follow before the actual exercise of indoor residual spraying of DDT starts.

"The Ministry of Health can not start spraying DDT now because it has several conditions which it has to adhere to before it starts the actual exercise," Nema executive director Henry Aryamanya Mugisha said.

According to him, MoH has to set up a professional, competent, multisectoral/multidisciplinary monitoring committee to oversee the implementation of the environmental concerns of DDT reintroduction. The Ministry is also expected to carry out an effective public awareness programme through various media to prepare the population for DDT re-introduction before it starts spraying DDT inside houses for malaria control.

"The public awareness programme should include community mobilisation for the management of dust that may be DDT contaminated as well as enable the population take precautionary measures relating to removal of household items that may be contaminated during the exercise," Dr. Aryamanya said.

Dr Aryamanya also stressed that only MoH should import DDT and should do it in accordance with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and National Drug Authority specifications.

"The drug is to be transported, stored in a safe place and administered by only the Ministry of Health officials and should be applied in accordance with the specifications of the Stockholm convention and the Rotterdam conventions" he said.

Dr. Aryamanya said DDT residues should be disposed off in a way that is consistent with the Nema waste management regulations of 1999.

Dr Aryamanya acknowledged if carelessly handled, DDT could pause possible negative impacts on the aquatic life (living things in water), birds and other components of the environment.

He said once Nema finds out that the MoH is not adhering to the set conditions or mishandling the drug, it would immediately stop them from using DDT.

As to whether DDT will be sprayed only in houses of people with interest in DDT, Dr Aryamanya said, "I hope the awareness campaign will make every citizen accept DDT to be sprayed in their houses otherwise if we spray some houses and leave others, we shall not have solved the problem."