Ministry of Defense is working on National Authority for the implementation of Chemical Weapons Convention Dagblad Suriname

The National Authority for the Implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention was to be established on Friday, January 13, and all necessary preparations were to be made by a working group established by Defense Minister Krishnakoemarie Mathoera. Colonel Mitchell Labadie, Lieutenant Colonel Dennis Duurham, and Major Vernon Pengel make up the task force, which is under his command.

The Convention's and its implementing law's provisions will be adhered to at the national level thanks to the National Authority's oversight. According to the Ministry of Defense, chemical substances can have a detrimental effect on the environment, animals, and people's health when misused, used unsafely, or stored improperly.

Pesticides, chlorine, and all other chemicals used in the paint industry, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, and the medical fields are just a few examples of what this refers to. Large-scale production of highly hazardous industrial chemicals for civilian use opens the door to the possibility of their use as chemical weapons, which is a security risk.

On August 13 of last year, the National Assembly approved the Chemical Weapons Convention Implementation Act, and it went into effect on December 13 of that same year. Additional regulations must be established by or pursuant to a State Decree for the organization and execution of the duties of a National Authority, in accordance with Article 8(4) of this Implementation Act.

In addition to other duties, the National Authority will be in charge of organizing national inspections of businesses and government organizations that use chemicals. The international Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and this authority will coordinate.

The members of the working group's expertise in the field of the diverse range of chemical substances is not mentioned in the Defense press release. Additionally, it is still unclear how the aforementioned inspections will be conducted.

It is a fact that people can purchase some toxic pesticides, including those that are actually (internationally) banned, almost anywhere. It is impossible to store chemicals safely in the nation.

It is astounding and should not be permitted that there are stores that simply display pesticides on the shelves. Looking back - Ammonium Nitrate in Flora The fact that there is something wrong with the storage of chemical substances became excruciatingly obvious when it was discovered in August 2020 that an excessive amount of ammonium nitrate was stored in a warehouse in the middle of their residential area in the residential area of Flora in Paramaribo.

The explosive substance in question weighed about 2,500 kilograms. The dangerous substance was eventually transported to the Newmont merian gold mine after locals took action.

Working Group Inventory and Advice Explosives and Hazardous Substances Intriguingly, the working group that has been established is actually the second working group that focuses on hazardous substances. Following the commotion in Flora in August 2020, the Santokhi/Brunswijk government established the Inventory and Advice Working Group on Explosives and Hazardous Substances in the middle of September 2020. With this group, they began to conduct research into the prevalence, nature, and storage of hazardous materials, chemicals, and explosives in Suriname.

Melvin Linscheer served as the working group's chair, and it had a three-month deadline to provide recommendations on a variety of topics, including the quantity and method of storage for these substances. The Commission made several stops and visited several businesses in both Paramaribo and the hinterland from October 12 to October 16, 2020.

In order to maximize safety in terms of storage and transport, the committee sought to obtain a comprehensive overview of the best options. To establish an organized system of storage and transportation, "hard agreements" would be reached with both local and multinational mining companies.

In the margin, there was also information about how to secure storage facilities. A top priority was to locate storage facilities for extremely dangerous materials as far away from populated areas and communities as possible.

Report from November 2022 On Wednesday, November 16, 2022, President Chandrikapersad Santokhi was given a copy of the third report by the Presidential Working Group on Inventory and Advice on Explosives and/or Hazardous Substances. The storage and transportation of explosive material outside of residential areas receives particular attention in that report.

The report also states that there is collaboration with the international gold mining conglomerates IAmGold (Rosebel gold mine) and Newmont (Merian gold mine) for the provision of storage facilities for the storage of hazardous substances. In light of the aforementioned, one may wonder what the new working group will accomplish in contrast to the working group formed in mid-September 2020.

There must already be a ton of information available, but it seems that not much has actually changed when it comes to the transportation and storage of the many chemical substances that are present in the nation, with all the potential risks that this may involve. PK.

Looking back - Ammonium Nitrate in Flora The fact that there is something wrong with the storage of chemical substances became excruciatingly obvious when it was discovered in August 2020 that an excessive amount of ammonium nitrate was stored in a warehouse in the middle of their residential area in the residential area of Flora in Paramaribo.