Somalia: fears over tsunami toxic waste
Somalia: fears over tsunami toxic waste

Somalia is suffering the effects of illegally dumped nuclear waste, washed ashore by the Asian tsunami, a UN report has said.

Residents of coastal areas in the East African country are suffering a range of serious health problems caused by the toxic chemicals.

Ailments include skin disorders, breathing difficulties and gastro intestinal haemorrhaging.

The December 26 tsunami is said to have dislodged and broken up toxic containers which had been dumped on the seabed.

Over the past decade, Italian and Swiss companies are alleged to have made thousands of illegal shipments of nuclear waste along its coastline.

The UN said the situation also poses a serious environmental hazard for neighbouring countries.

Somalia's secret dumps of toxic waste washed ashore by tsunami

“Initial reports indicate that the tsunami waves broke open containers full of toxic waste and scattered the contents. We are talking about everything from medical waste to chemical waste products,” Nick Nuttal, the Unep spokesman, told The Times.

“We know this material is on the land and is now being blown around and possibly carried to villages. What we do not know is the full extent of the problem.”

Mr Nuttall said that a UN assessment mission that recently returned from the lawless African country, which has had no government since 1991, reported that several Somalis in the northern areas were ill with diseases consistent with radiation sickness. “We need more information. We need to find out what has been going on there, but there is real cause for concern,” he added. “We now need to urgently send in a multi-agency expert mission, led by Unep, for a full investigation.”

An initial UN report says that many people in the areas around the northeastern towns of Hobbio and Benadir, on the Indian Ocean coast, are suffering from far higher than normal cases of respiratory infections, mouth ulcers and bleeding, abdominal haemorrhages and unusual skin infections.

And one more time we have a demonstration of the value of government, the short-sighteness and greed of people.

If it was up to me, the people whose waste was dumped in Somalia should pay for cleaning the mess, and the people who dumped the waste should be made to live in the contaminated areas, drink the local water and eat locally produced food.
- posted by Don Quijote @ 6:53 AM