Aller au contenu principal

Djibouti bars transhipment of Ethiopia-bound power chemical

Pays
Djibouti
Sources
PANAPress
Date de publication

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA) - Djibouti's Environment ministry has prohibited both the storage and rail or road transportation through its territory, of chemical imports bound for the Ethiopian Electricity Corporation (EEPCO).
According to Djibouti Port Director Luc Deruvyer, the decision was taken after containers with the chemicals began to leak material considered hazardous to health.

A Djibouti delegation led by the president of that country's Chamber of Commerce and Industry said Tuesday in Addis Ababa that Djibouti port authorities had brought the leak under control and were now working at decontaminating the area.

EEPCO officials on their part, maintained that the chemical for protecting wooden electric poles against termites and decay has been imported in the last 30 years without posing any major threat to health or the environment.

But the Djibouti side maintained that previous containers for the chemical were different and much stronger, whereas the current ones were made of plastic material.

Meanwhile, French experts have gone to Djibouti to investigate the situation and find a solution, even as the Djibouti Foreign Affairs ministry and Maritime Transit Service enterprise on the one hand, and the Ethiopian Shipping Lines and EEPCO on the other hand, continue discussions on the matter.

A recent report by the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, which also sent an assessment team to the area, said the leaking containers had contaminated five sites.

The report added that some 30 dock workers, who had been in contact with the chemical or contaminated sites had undergone tests and were being followed up.

Pan African News Agency: Copyright - All PANA content and graphics is protected by copyright and international treaties and may not be copied, reproduced or re-used for any purpose without written permission.