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| Sunday, 02 March 2003 |
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Noxious fumes from containers causing acute illnesses among Sedawatte residents by Shanika Sriyananda Liyanage The controversial containers with the allegedly harmful chemicals off-loaded from the Italian vessel G. T. Grand, are still lying at the Colombo Port and at the Asian Container Terminal (Pvt) Ltd. at Sedawatta, while the residents of the area wonder whether they are facing death. Already, the noxious fumes have claimed three casualties - two children and an elderly man admitted to hospital with acute breathing difficulties. Residents in and around Sedawatte in the Nawalokapura area, where more than half the 'poisonous' containers were 'dumped', also complain of breathing difficulties and one person is said to be suffering from various illnesses including diarrhoea, cough, flu and severe headaches in the past two weeks. The residents claim that the 'mysterious gas' is still leaking from the remaining containers in the yard. More than 20 children, who are the unfortunate victims of the awful 'chemical fumes', are said to be suffering from continuous flu, cough and nausea that can only be treated with powerful antibiotics. "My baby is crying all the time and he has been having high fever for more than a week now. He may be crying continuously because of a headache. If the adults, cannot bare the smell, how can the babies ? The smell is terrible", Dhammi Dilrukshi, mother of a nine-month-old complained. According to Dhammi, her father, who is suffering from asthma, was admitted to the hospital since he was unable to breath due to the over powering chemical fumes. Two infants were also admitted to the Lady Ridgeway hospital last week. The residents of Sedawatta claim that their lives are under threat but say that this is not the first time they have become victims. " We request the government to move this container yard from here, because un-loading and re-loading containers on a daily basis has already wrecked our houses. The walls are about to collapse. Our lives are in danger. But we do not have a place to move", lamented the residents, who held a picketing campaign at the Sedawatta junction last Friday. Sixty-three-year old Somawathie Perera, a mother of four children said that although the issue of noxious fumes had caught the attention of the public, this wasn't the first time they have experience such 'chemical odours'. "Those lasted for a few days and didn't become issues and we suffered silently", she said. She said that on February 17 the containers with the alleged chemicals were un-loaded at the yard and the noxious fumes emanated on February 19. Only one container, said to be leaking chemicals, was removed. "But we still get the same terrible odour", she claimed. Residents say that the strong sulphuric smell is increasing with the night wind and claim that they suffer from severe headaches at that time. However, they thanked the Environmental Foundation Ltd (EFL) for highlighting their plight and believe the authorities should take action to avoid such happenings in future. But, when contacted the authorities responsible for the removal of the containers displayed a 'don't case' lethargic attitude, passing the responsibility of re-shipping the cargo to someone else. The environmentalists meanwhile question why the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) allowed the G.T. Grand to off-load its cargo since the Ports Fire Brigade had cautioned them to do so only after verification from the Government Analyst as the 'emergency fire' was a false alarm. They also question why the SLPA allowed the L.T. Grand to set sail leaving 278 containers in the Port without an assurance from the shipping authorities that the cargo would be taken back ? The EFL, which went to courts against the authorities concerned, under the Criminal Procedure code, for off-loading chemical waste in Sri Lanka, were able to get a court order from the Colombo Additional Magistrate Sarath Gamlatharachchi to store the chemicals in a safe place and to have the substance in the container tested by the Government Analyst. He also ordered that 90 containers be fumigated and all the containers disposed of immediately. Allegations have been made that the SLPA officials had depended solely on a report submitted by the Singaporean Scientific and Engineering firm, appointed by the ship owners. The report based on samples taken from only one container - TT NU4553424 - had stated that the cargo it carried contained pesticides which had decomposed due to the fire. It stated that the chemical remnants in the container were sulphur oxides, nitrogen oxides and hydrochloric acid. Questions are being asked as to why the SLPA acquired the services of foreign experts when the Government Analyst Department has a highly qualified team of experts to test the content of the containers ? and why was only one container subjected to analysis, queries the EFL. The SLPA officials claimed that they always follow safety regulation procedures to ensure the safety of the population and the environment when handling this kind of situation. However, according to EFL sources, the 88 barrels of pesticide in the container from which the foreign expert took samples were found to be empty with their contents vaporized. "But, can pesticide get vaporised in this manner" the EFL questioned. EFL Project Officer Banduranga Kariyawasam alleged that this was not the first time this kind of secretive, underhand dealings had taken place. "A few years ago some chemical waste was buried in the Mulleriyawa area", he said. Kariyawasam claimed that they have information that the alleged harmful substances inside the other containers are also 'disappearing', "We request the government to probe this mystery soon", he urged. Two weeks have passed and the 'experts' were ordered to submit these reports identifying the substances inside the containers. But no such report has been submitted yet. The SLPA Harbour Master Nihal Keppitipola continued to maintain that the containers lying at the Port contained general merchandising and not 'chemical substances'. "No pesticide, nuclear or toxic waste are stored inside these containers as claimed. Only general goods such as electrical items like televisions, radios and kitchen items, garments and other normal goods are inside the containers", he insisted. However, Thosapala Hewage, Secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources said that the Central Environmental Authority (CEA), the law enforcement authority of the Ministry, would take immediate action according to the established procedures of handing these kinds of issues. |
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