The Environmental Disaster of Khian Sea

[STOIC]

The year is 1986.I was a young kid breathing the fresh air of Africa. This is the same year the words of Nigeria president Ibrahim Babaginda were heard all over the world declaring affirmatively that “No government no matter the financial inducement has the right to mortgage the destiny of future generation of African childrenâ€. Under the dictates of the world super powers like the United State countries in Africa and the Caribbean became the target of one of the world’s most shameful blunder-the Khian Sea waste.

 

 

In 1986 Philadelphia-the city of brotherly love- was faced with a problem of garbage disposal.The city relied heavily on a nearby landfills in New-Jersey.Unfortunately this same year many of the American landfills have been closed due to “Not In My Backyard†(NIMBY) outcry by the public.The city contracted with waste handler by the name Joseph Paolino and sons. The contarctor with unsuccessful attempts tried to dump the waste in states like Ohio where the public outcry overpowered them.It was a drama that kept many Americans alert and glued to their televisions. This outcry has led to investigation by the EPA to test the toxicity level of this waste.To the surprise of most it was found out that the waste contained deadly traces of Dioxin, Lead and chromium.The contracted company tried to buy the right of disposal from governments like Panama, Hiati(which unfortunately the company dumped some illegally) and the African countries.By 1988 the ship suddenly appeared in Singapore without its cargo.It is believed that the toxic waste was dumped somewhere in the Indian Ocean. It is still mystery today.No one knows where the waste has been dumped.

 

 

This morning while I was having my cup of coffee the Khian Sea incident flashed in my coffee. How wrong can I be if I assumed that the Khian Sea was dumped in the waters of Somalia?