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Rumbidzai Chipadza Herald Correspondent
Government and stakeholders have conducted a response drill to deal with cases of spillage of highly flammable substances and gases, demonstrating active response capabilities, coordination and communications.
The drill follows an explosion in South Africa that claimed several local lives including Zimbabweans after a tanker carrying liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) exploded in Boksburg in Gauteng late last year.
The Environmental Management Agency (EMA), in conjunction with Shepparton Spill Response and Phil’s and Pats Hazchem spearheaded the emergency response drill.
The drills simulated a chain of an ethanol leakage, leading to a potential off site emergency situation before demonstrating how to handle the situation until the area becomes safe.
EMA inspector Mr Muchineripi Kuvuya highlighted safety precautions that need to be taken in cases of spillage.
“When there is an emergency like this, we encourage drivers to contact EMA and the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA) as well as the police to attend the scene and ensure that no one tempers with chemicals and avoid problems of pilferage of fuel.
“EMA will be there to monitor the environment ‘s safety as well as its surroundings,” said Mr Kuvuya.
The Shepparton demonstration showed their capacity of disaster risk management in support of the National Development Strategy 1 which aims to ensure safety of the environment, educating people about minimizing damage and wastage of resources through reducing the risk of losses that can be controlled.
Mr Kuvuya also urged the public to notify responsible authorities and avoid attempting to go near such accident or incident scenes as it may lead to serious implications due to possible explosions.
The Phil’s and Pats operation manager Mr Vladmir Tomuseni said:
“The drill is an assimilation of a truck spilling ethanol and we are demonstrating how we react as an organisation or transporter carrying a highly flammable chemical like ethanol.”
“The truck was simulated to have been coming from Chisumbanje and when the driver was close to Boka he noticed that the tank was leaking and he contacted me as the operation manager and I told him to quickly move from that crowded area and advised him to look for an open space.”
“This open space we geo-fenced as one of the least populated areas. As you can see, the emergency response team has arrived, to transship ethanol to a new fuel tank which is not leaking.”
Shepparton investments director Mr Graham Westoff, said companies that are in the transportation of highly flammable chemicals and substances should recognise the importance treating the contaminated soil.
“If we have a spill of diesel here, we excavate the contaminated soil, introduce enzymes and treat the soil. After sometime the soil will get back to its natural state,” he said.
Last week, a 39-year-old truck driver escaped death by a whisker after a tanker he was driving caught fire, about 20km out of Beitbridge town.
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