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Ivan Zhakata Herald Correspondent
THE Radiation Protection Authority of Zimbabwe has opened a management facility to safely house disused radioactive sources that are being used across the country while arrangements are made to sent them back to where they originally came from.
The new building, which is situated in Hatcliffe, Harare, is the first of its kind in SADC and it is expected to assist other countries in the region.
Minister of Energy and Power Development Zhemu Soda yesterday toured the new facility to have an appreciation of the building as part of his mandate to oversee aspects of the Radiation and Protection Act.
Speaking after the tour, Minister Soda said the new building will be used to house disused radioactive sources.
“Some companies may wind up after they have been incorporated and fail to return these radioactive sources. It would be the responsibility of the Radiation Protection Authority of Zimbabwe to ensure that those sources are properly disposed of or secured so that they do not affect people and the environment.
“We appreciate the building and all the measures that have been taken to ensure that people are safe and that the environment is also protected. We want to allay fears of the people that are surrounding this facility that all the necessary precautions and measures have been taken and people must not be worried about the existence of this facility,” he said.
RPAZ chief executive Mr Justice Chipuru said the new facility will ensure the safe keeping of disused radioactive sources pending their repatriation to their countries of origin.
“This facility is one of the major projects that we are undertaking in line with the National Development Strategy (NDS) 1 which is going to be used to house disused radioactive sources that are being used by many facilities around the country,” he said.
“By having this facility, we are going to ensure that sources are going to be used in a safe and secure manner in line with international safety standards. The facility is being funded by the Government through Treasury.
“The facility has the capacity to manage all national requirements as well as assist other countries in the region when an appropriate framework agreement has been established. The national policy is that anyone who imports radioactive sources into the country is supposed to take them back to the country of origin, but we do find out that some companies have got different challenges that they will encounter in the process of repatriation which will take the process a bit longer”.
Mr Chipuru said the facility was not meant to dispose of the disused radioactive sources, but keep them safe.
“So while they are negotiating the repatriation, we are temporarily housing them at the facility. This is not for disposal or long-term management; it is a medium-term plan.”
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