The Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority (PNRA) has found two unclaimed containers of radioactive material. The containers had been buried at the premises of an Oil and Gas Development Corporation Limited (OGDCL) workshop in Karachi. They are believed to date back to the 1960s, when a Soviet oil-drilling company was in control of oil-well logging at the company, which was later handed over to the OGDCL. The PNRA believes that since the containers, about which the ODGCL had no information, were buried employees at the facility or other people in the vicinity were not exposed to radiation. The containers have now been handed over to KANUPP to dispose safely.
While the presence of the containers has in this case proved not to be dangerous, the uncovering of the radioactive material draws attention to the fact that little is known about how radioactive material of all kinds is handled in the country. In 2006, the issue of radioactive waste dumped at the Baghalchur village in Dera Ghazi Khan district briefly made news. Local residents, backed by a senator from the area, alleged material dumped at a disused mine posed a hazard to human and animal health. The matter was taken up by the Supreme Court, but then fizzled out after it was stated there was no scientific evidence the dumped matter posed a risk to the local population. A cover-up was alleged.
Occasionally, rumours have also circulated of radioactivity in the Chagai region in Balochistan, where nuclear tests were carried out in 1998. Certainly, many people in Balochistan allege that in the aftermath, people have been afflicted in various ways. There has been little investigation of these allegations. It is also unclear how used computer parts, that contain radioactive material, are disposed of. Certainly there is a need to create greater awareness of the risks. Safe methods to dispense with equipment that is radioactive must be determined and rules regarding compliance put in place.
The fact that Pakistan is today a nuclear-armed nation also places upon it increased responsibility. Dealing with radioactive materials is among these tasks, and an awareness campaign is needed to educate people about them and to ensure that they are handled in a way that can minimize risk.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=123544 |
