[10/June/2009]

ADEN, June 10 (Saba) – The Environment Protection Authority in Yemen's port city of Aden has urged an urgent limit for gas emissions from the steel plant in the province.

A technical team must be set up now to study the situation at the plant, with the aim to recommend the best ways to reduce emissions, officials at the authority said.

The authority stressed in a report submitted to head of the Aden Free Trade Zone the importance of asking the plant to implement recommendations contained in the report to prevent pollution.

There are not environmental and emergency rules and there is not a specific plan to collect waste at the plant, the report said.

Huge smoke produced by burning crude steel billows over the plant site in a horrible way.

Solid waste must be examined before removing it and a health underground dump must be established to get rid of it, the reporte advises.

According to information obtained by the authority gas emissions from mixing manufacturing materials will rise largely affecting the environment badly.

Dangerous emissions such as PCDF and PCDD, included in Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, will be resulted in this case.

Yemen is one of the countries which ratified the convention and under a UNDP program calling on the countries to adopt effective plans to reduce mercury emissions, Yemen has to work hard to reduce emissions at its plants.

Solid waste usually contains poisonous emissions, so it must be examined before getting rid of it.

The authority also highlighted worker safety measures, saying the plant employees did not put on safety uniforms, a matter which can increase accidents.

The Aden Steel Plant, known as the Arab Iron and Steel Company, is located 2 kilometers off sea and covers 100 square meters.

There is an appendix at the plant mainly used to collect gas, at which About 500 people work around the clock.

The plant uses 500 tons of solid waste to produce 400 tons of crude steel.

FR