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Stockpiles of obsolete pesticides in Africa higher than expected
FAO estimates toxic waste in Africa at 120,000 tons
The amount of toxic waste stemming from obsolete pesticides in
Africa is higher than previously estimated, the U.N. Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) announced in a news release issued September 18 from
Rome.
"Every African country has stockpiles of obsolete pesticides and
associated
waste such as heavily contaminated soils and millions of containers. The
FAO estimates that the toxic waste in Africa alone amounts to around 120,000
tons, with more than 500,000 tons worldwide," said Alemayehu Wodageneh, an
FAO expert on obsolete pesticides. Wodageneh spoke at a meeting of environmental
experts in Rome. Previously, the FAO estimated the amount of obsolete pesticides
in Africa at around 50,000 tons.
"These pesticides seriously threaten the health of both rural and urban
populations, especially the poorest of the poor, and contribute to land
degradation and water pollution," Wodageneh warned. An estimated 30 percent
of the waste is believed to be persistent organic pollutants (POPs),
according to the release.
In nearly a decade, fewer than 5 percent of the estimated stockpiles have
been disposed of, the FAO release said. The U.N. organization, however,
according to its own statistics, has successfully disposed of close to 3,000
tons in more than 10 countries in Africa and the Near East, in close
collaboration with bilateral partners. The FAO's biggest clean-up project,
in Ethiopia, is currently working to safely dispose of another 3, 000 tons.
Despite the committed efforts of FAO and others to address the problem,
obsolete pesticides continue to accumulate. "In some countries we have been
very successful in linking the removal of pesticide waste with the
improvement of pesticide controls and the promotion of sustainable pest
management alternatives. Unfortunately, on a regional or global level, it
is probable that stockpiles of obsolete pesticides are growing more quickly
than they are being alleviated," Wodageneh said.
In many developing countries, the FAO warns, the management of pesticides is
often inadequate because of a lack of resources. Many of these countries, the
FAO release notes, suffer from weak import controls, poor storage and stock
management, and a lack of training in appropriate pesticide use. Over the past
years, the FAO has trained thousands of plant protection experts in pesticide
control and management.
Since no adequate hazardous waste destruction facilities exist in Africa,
waste has so far been shipped to a developed country for high-temperature
incineration at an average cost of $3,500 per ton.
The condition of obsolete pesticide stocks varies from well-stored products
that can still be used in the field to products that have entirely leaked
from corroded steel drums and other containers into the soil.
In many cases products are stored in the open, where they are exposed to
great temperature fluctuations and other damaging conditions, which
accelerate the deterioration of the pesticides as well as their containers.
However, even where storage conditions are good, the length of storage and the
nature of the products have resulted in container corrosion and product leakage.
The recently launched Africa Stockpiles Programme (ASP) aims to clear all
obsolete pesticides and contaminated waste in Africa in the next 10-15 years and
to promote prevention measures and capacity building. The total amount needed to
fund the ASP, according to FAO, is estimated at $250 million.
Current partners of this multipartner initiative include financial
institutions and specialized agencies (among others, the African Development
Bank, the chemical industry, FAO, the Global Environment Facility, the Pesticide
Action Network, the U.N. Environment Programme, the U.N. Industrial Development
Organization, the World Bank, and the World Wide Fund for Nature/WWF). The FAO
will play a key role in the technical aspects of the clean-up operations.
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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