Livaningo wonders whether the incineration of pesticides would be a test for later burning of imported toxic waste. However, even without imported toxic waste, the incineration of pesticides in Matola is worrisome enough. Clouds of dust frequently hang over the city, Mozambique's second largest. Two weeks ago, residents called Livaningo to report that the factory chimneys were spewing dense, black smoke. It turned out the electrofilters were down for 40 minutes.
Residents complain of a high incidence of respiratory diseases.
Asthma and bronchitis are chronic among children. Another problem is the storage of 500 tons of obsolete pesticides at the waste station set up in the old warehouse of agricultural company Boror, in Matola, along a busy avenue, among factories, shops and homes, close to old, leaky water pipes that could easily be infiltrated with residual toxins. The site was already contaminated, as scientists have denounced since 1995, and was not decontaminated before storing this batch of old pesticides. Last week, the Food and Agriculture Organisation warned about the danger posed by faulty storage of obsolete pesticides in developing countries, where metal drums are corroding and leaking and could contaminate irrigation and drinking water. Reina says drums at Boror have been left uncovered and unlabelled, and some have exploded due to heat.