![]() Nevertheless, inhabitants of this site have declared their disagreement with this plan. The Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development and the Tunisian Chemical Group have planned the building of a landfill site (far away from Ghannouch, around 20 to 40 km away) for the phosphogypsum which is currently drained away into the gulf. Visible: Loss of livelihood, Loss of traditional knowledge/practices/cultures, Loss of landscape/sense of placeĭo you consider this an environmental justice success? Was environmental justice served?: Visible: Exposure to unknown or uncertain complex risks (radiation, etc…), Malnutrition Visible: Air pollution, Biodiversity loss (wildlife, agro-diversity), Loss of landscape/aesthetic degradation, Soil contamination, Deforestation and loss of vegetation cover, Groundwater pollution or depletion, Other Environmental impacts In REACTION to the implementation (during construction or operation) MEDIUM (street protests, visible mobilization) Union Régionale de l’Agriculture et de la Pêche de Gabès Association de Sauvegarde de l’Oasis de Chenini Gabes () Association Régionale de la Sauvegarde de la Nature et de l’Environnement de Gabès SOS Environnement Gabès () Al-Mustaqbal Al-Akhdar (Green Future)() Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mines Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development Ministry of HealthĮnvironmental justice organizations (and other supporters) and their websites, if available: Groupe Chimique Tunisien (GTC) from Tunisia Level of Investment for the conflictive project Phosphate is the main mining product of the country its exploitation, by the public sector, represents 3% of the GPD and 10% of exports The industrial complex of Gabès has produced the following phosphate fertilizers from 1972 onward:ġ) Diammonium phosphate (production of 1.3 million tons/year)Ĥ) Ammonium nitrate (capacity of 330,000 tons/year) Project Details and Actors Project details Water treatment and access to sanitation (access to sewage) Gabès Phosphate Fertilizers Plants of the Tunisian Chemical Group, Tunisia Nevertheless, because of the social and economic importance of the complex, the political will to end the pollution seems very limited. These risks have been well known from the beginning of the project. Palm trees of the oasis are dying because of water pollution and shortages due to the overconsumption of the fertilizer plants. The air does not smell good because of acid smoke. While Gabès gulf is in the UNESCO World Heritage tentative list, pollution has degraded the landscape too. ![]() Even if no study has precisely estimated the health consequences, local protesters denounce the rising infertility, the increasingly common miscarriages, and the appearance of several diseases such as asthma, cancer, and hepatitis. Moreover, soil and air pollution impacts human health. First of all, the 12,000 tons of phosphogypsum drained into the gulf everyday cause damage to the marine fish biodiversity and the interdiction of bathing, because radiation levels are too high. The phosphate fertilizer plants in Gabès have deeply impacted the environment of the region. Civil protesters also organized Internet campaigns on Twitter and Facebook in order to inform the population and try to negotiate with the government. Nevertheless, in 2013, after the death of two children from diseases caused by radiation, protests began in order to demand the reduction of phosphate pollution in the Gabès District. This complex offers many jobs for this region, which suffers from a high unemployment rate. From 1972 onward, several phosphate fertilizer plants have been built in the industrial complex of Gabès, exploiting the resources of the Gafsa mines.
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