US use of uranium causing environment disaster in Gulf
‘US use of uranium causing environment disaster in Gulf’ Qatar becomes largest munitions store: GLEG KUWAIT CITY, Aug 8: The US military’s use of uranium enriched bombs has caused an environment disaster in the region and the damage caused is almost equivalent to damage that may occur in case of a radiation leak from Iran’s nuclear reactors, said the Green Line Environmental Group (GLEG) during a press conference on Saturday.
Chairman of the group and environmental activist Khalid Al-Hajri said the United States acts very selfishly while dealing with after effects of environmental disasters. “The White House gave so much attention and importance to the oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico, but it conveniently ignores the fact that the US Army has caused the greatest damage to the environment around the world and especially in the Gulf region,” he added.
Al-Hajri said he was surprised on reading the human rights report issued by the US administration and its claim about protecting human rights, especially because it is the biggest violator of environment regulations.
Radioactive
“The US military in Iraq decided to transfer and store radioactive waste, consisting of iron scrap and remnants of destroyed military vehicles contaminated with radioactive particles, to Qatar, making it the biggest store of radioactive waste in the Gulf region.
However, thanks to the help of environmental activists in the region, we received official information that the waste will be transferred from there during the month of Ramadan,” he added.
“Qatar today has become the largest store of munitions outside the US and it is storing items with depleted uranium besides the radioactive waste, which makes the issue extremely dangerous. Green Line has notified environmental authorities in Qatar to take measures to prevent the US military from storing radioactive waste in Qatar and called on Gulf states to review security and military agreements with the US military and include clauses prohibiting it from causing environmental pollution and obliging it to bear the expenses of waste treatment,” he added.
Al-Hajri called on the Gulf governments to take a strict environmental position to ensure an end to the US military’s human rights violations and environmental destruction due to use of internationally prohibited weapons in its military operations.
He also called on environmental authorities in the Gulf States to conduct a comprehensive environmental survey of all US military bases, especially after the scandal caused by hazardous waste in Iraq came to light.
Al-Hajeri also warned of the consequences of not tightening environmental control on the US military as it has caused massive damage to environment and public health in Iraq.
Hajri revealed that the US military in Iraq recently refused officials of the Department of Environmental Protection at Thi Qar area from entering the US base near the airport to conduct an environmental survey following the high rate of radioactive contaminants in the areas surrounding it.
Scrap
He also mentioned that waste from the US military in Kuwait is being leaked to scrap markets such as Amghara where Green Line activists found a variety of military waste more than once. The Green Line also did a survey of the desert north of Kuwait and found remnants of many US military equipment that were left behind after entering Iraq.
“The US administration need not deny or confirm the information obtained by Green Line, but it should collect the radiation contaminated waste and ship it from Iraq to the United States and deal with it there under the control and supervision of international environmental organizations, especially because it used internationally banned weapons.”
Al-Hajri warned that the Gulf region could be exposed to nuclear disasters if the region’s governments do not take necessary precautions and measures, especially in the face of deepening radioactive waste crisis in Kuwait and Iraq, and the presence of warships, carriers and nuclear-powered aircrafts, besides the prospects of getting atomic reactors in the region.
By: Rena Sadeghi
