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Hargeysa, Somaliland, November 19,2011 (SL Times) – The authorities and
residents of the town of Da'ar -Budhuq in the district of Las Geel in
the Marodi Jeh region of Somaliland have voiced their concern over the
dumping of hazardous materials and waste into the local lands by two
factories located in the area.
These factories in question are run by a Somaliland citizen and a
Chinese businessman respectively. They are located at around the main
water basin which runs through the town of Da'ar Budhuq. According to
the authorities and residents of the town, the hazardous waste from
these two factories, which process hides and animal by-products, have
been spilling into the water basin leading to alleged death of seventeen
people, whilst many others have contracted severe illnesses as a result
of breathing in the fumes or coming into contact with waste from these
cesspools. The hazardous waste from these two factories have also
started to seep into local lands used for animal grazing, farming and
homesteads.
Officials from the local town council, local elders and concerned
citizens of the Las Geel district have appealed to the Somaliland
government and the ministry of Rural Development to investigate the
situation in the area, which if left unresolved with lead to an even
larger environmental catastrophe.
Mohamed Hassan Farah, a local elder from the Las Geel district has
stated that "We have never seen anything like this before, in my
lifetime; to allow for hazardous materials to accumulate within a
populated area, without any regulations or control, has already led to
the deaths of over seventeen people and countless livestock".
Mr. Farah continued by stressing " We are tired to appealing to the
local, regional and government officials, who have so far turned a deaf
ear to our appeals. Unless something is done quickly, the whole area,
with all its population and livestock could be decimated".
Abdillahi Abokor Osman, from the Somaliland Commercial Tenders Board,
who is among the few officials from any state agency to visit the area
declared " That the situation is critical, and the hazardous waste
release from these two factories, included chemicals which have fatal
consequences for the local population and their livestock. Some of the
chemicals in these hazardous materials can lead to cancer of lungs and
the blood"
Mr. Osman concluded "According to a recent by the Food and Agriculture
Office (FAO) of the United Nations factories such as the two in the
Da'ar Budhuq area are to found in the poorer countries of the world,
with minimal environmental regulations"
In an another development on this story, the Director-General of the
Ministry of Rural Development, Mohamed Farah, stated that neither
factory has any planning permission from his ministry. Mr. Farah stated
“The land was given by the previous administration, but after checking
our records we are unable to find any permission given for building the
factories, or any feasibility studies on the environmental impact on the
local population and their livestock. However as of now, we have given
instructions to the local authorities and the local police to stop any
further dumping of these hazardous waste, and to report any further
infraction until a thorough investigation can take place to determine to
way forward"
The leader of the Las Geel District, Ahmed Muuse Abdi stated that the
two factories in question have caused severe problems for the local
population during the last few years and appealed to the Somaliland
government to urgently review to situation and to stop any further
dumping of hazardous waste in the area.
Source: SDWO
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