Mekanurg
I'd rather be different than indifferent.
Följande är en sammanfattning från United Nations Environmental Programme om miljökatastrofer i Somalia. Det kan mycket väl ha bäring i spelsituationer:
UNEP:
After the Tsunami: Rapid Environmental Assessment
NATIONAL RAPID ENVIRONMENTAL DESK ASSESSMENT - SOMALIA
Waste
Prior to the civil war, domestic and commercial solid waste in cities was collected and transported for disposal. However, the system of waste collection and disposal eventually collapsed due to lawlessness and lack of proper central government to efficiently manage the system. During the civil war, waste collection services ceased to function and the collection vehicles and equipment were either looted or destroyed. The garbage transfer stations and depots were also damaged. As a result, mountains of waste accumulated, which continue to pose serious human health risks and environmental hazards.
Further, Somalia is one of the many Least Developed Countries that reportedly received countless shipments of illegal nuclear and toxic waste dumped along the coastline. Starting from the early 1980s and continuing into the civil war, the hazardous waste dumped along Somalia’s coast comprised uranium radioactive waste, lead, cadmium, mercury, industrial, hospital, chemical, leather treatment and other toxic waste. Most of the waste was simply dumped on the beaches in containers and disposable leaking barrels which ranged from small to big tanks without regard to the health of the local population and any environmentally devastating impacts.
The issue of dumping in Somalia is contentious as it raises both legal and moral questions. First, there is a violation of international treaties in the export of hazardous waste to Somalia. Second, it is ethically questionable to negotiate a hazardous waste disposal contract with a country in the midst of a protracted civil war and with a factionalized government that could not sustain a functional legal and proper waste management system. The impact of the tsunami stirred up hazardous waste deposits on the beaches around North Hobyo (South Mudug) and Warsheik (North of Benadir). Contamination from the waste deposits has thus caused health and environmental problems to the surrounding local fishing communities including contamination of groundwater. Many people in these towns have complained of unusual health problems as a result of the tsunami winds blowing towards inland villages. The health problems include acute respiratory infections, dry heavy coughing and mouth bleeding, abdominal haemorrhages, unusual skin chemical reactions, and sudden death after inhaling toxic materials. It is important to underscore that since 1998, the Indian Ocean has experienced frequent cyclones and heavy tidal waves in the coastal regions of Somalia. Natural disasters are short-term catastrophes, but the contamination of the environment by radioactive waste can cause serious long-term effects on human health as well as severe impacts on groundwater, soil, agriculture and fisheries for many years. Therefore, the current situation along the Somali coastline poses a very serious environmental hazard, not only in Somalia but also in the eastern Africa sub-region.
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UNEP:
After the Tsunami: Rapid Environmental Assessment
NATIONAL RAPID ENVIRONMENTAL DESK ASSESSMENT - SOMALIA
Waste
Prior to the civil war, domestic and commercial solid waste in cities was collected and transported for disposal. However, the system of waste collection and disposal eventually collapsed due to lawlessness and lack of proper central government to efficiently manage the system. During the civil war, waste collection services ceased to function and the collection vehicles and equipment were either looted or destroyed. The garbage transfer stations and depots were also damaged. As a result, mountains of waste accumulated, which continue to pose serious human health risks and environmental hazards.
Further, Somalia is one of the many Least Developed Countries that reportedly received countless shipments of illegal nuclear and toxic waste dumped along the coastline. Starting from the early 1980s and continuing into the civil war, the hazardous waste dumped along Somalia’s coast comprised uranium radioactive waste, lead, cadmium, mercury, industrial, hospital, chemical, leather treatment and other toxic waste. Most of the waste was simply dumped on the beaches in containers and disposable leaking barrels which ranged from small to big tanks without regard to the health of the local population and any environmentally devastating impacts.
The issue of dumping in Somalia is contentious as it raises both legal and moral questions. First, there is a violation of international treaties in the export of hazardous waste to Somalia. Second, it is ethically questionable to negotiate a hazardous waste disposal contract with a country in the midst of a protracted civil war and with a factionalized government that could not sustain a functional legal and proper waste management system. The impact of the tsunami stirred up hazardous waste deposits on the beaches around North Hobyo (South Mudug) and Warsheik (North of Benadir). Contamination from the waste deposits has thus caused health and environmental problems to the surrounding local fishing communities including contamination of groundwater. Many people in these towns have complained of unusual health problems as a result of the tsunami winds blowing towards inland villages. The health problems include acute respiratory infections, dry heavy coughing and mouth bleeding, abdominal haemorrhages, unusual skin chemical reactions, and sudden death after inhaling toxic materials. It is important to underscore that since 1998, the Indian Ocean has experienced frequent cyclones and heavy tidal waves in the coastal regions of Somalia. Natural disasters are short-term catastrophes, but the contamination of the environment by radioactive waste can cause serious long-term effects on human health as well as severe impacts on groundwater, soil, agriculture and fisheries for many years. Therefore, the current situation along the Somali coastline poses a very serious environmental hazard, not only in Somalia but also in the eastern Africa sub-region.
Länk till rapporten >>