Containers filled with chemical waste show up in Somalia
Posted: Fri Apr 08, 2011 8:45 am
Residents of Central Somalia's coastal district of Hobyo, 660km northeast of Mogadishu, have spotted three large containers washed up to the beaches by the high tide.
The containers, which are said to be drum-shaped, are large and look suspicious, according to local residents.
The residents fear that the containers may contain dangerous industrial or chemical waste that might have been dumped into the sea by foreign vessels.
Hobyo district hosts fishing communities and pirates engaged in the hijacking of ships.
Officials in the district say that they are working to prevent the possible damage the contents of the drums could cause.
Skin infections
Somali fishing communities have long blamed foreign vessels of dumping obnoxious wastes in the waters of the Indian Ocean, taking advantage of the political confusion in the country and lack of central government.
Coastal dwellers link the dumped waste to health problems such as abdominal haemorrhages, respiratory and skin infections, muscular and joint tensions locally known as kadudiye and other ailments.
The Unep has in the past promised to carry out an assessment of possible illegal dumping of waste being done clandestinely in Somalia.
The containers, which are said to be drum-shaped, are large and look suspicious, according to local residents.
The residents fear that the containers may contain dangerous industrial or chemical waste that might have been dumped into the sea by foreign vessels.
Hobyo district hosts fishing communities and pirates engaged in the hijacking of ships.
Officials in the district say that they are working to prevent the possible damage the contents of the drums could cause.
Skin infections
Somali fishing communities have long blamed foreign vessels of dumping obnoxious wastes in the waters of the Indian Ocean, taking advantage of the political confusion in the country and lack of central government.
Coastal dwellers link the dumped waste to health problems such as abdominal haemorrhages, respiratory and skin infections, muscular and joint tensions locally known as kadudiye and other ailments.
The Unep has in the past promised to carry out an assessment of possible illegal dumping of waste being done clandestinely in Somalia.
