126 warehouses in Malé store hazardous chemicals: Mariya

Investigations from the government on chemical storing in capital city Malé showed that a total of 126 warehouses in the city store hazardous chemicals.

Speaking to press on Saturday to brief the public on its findings, Minister of Defense Mariya Ahmed Didi revealed that President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih had instructed an investigation to study chemical storing in the capital since assuming office, which showed that there are 82 chemical warehouses in residential areas and 96 right adjacent to houses.

Stressing that one of the biggest concerns by the citizens of now is the haphazard manner in which chemicals are stored in warehouses, which are mostly in populated areas.

Following said investigations, talks were previously held with the owners of the storage to resolve the issue and consecutively discussions were held with relevant institutions to resolve it.

Since the deadly fire on Friday, President Solih has ordered for the warehouses to be relocated and the ministry has announced the decision to relocate them to industrial zones.

Also at the conference, Mariya stated that regulations under which chemicals may be stored in the capital will be publicized in the government gazette within two days.

Under said regulations, chemical storage in residential areas will be banned, allocating plots of land in Gulhifalhu and Thilafushi for chemical warehouses, allocating chemical destruction as legally mandated, in a safe procedure, after talks with relevant institutions.

The chemical regulations will also publicize what is deemed as hazardous, and what it safe, import of said chemicals and their overall handling.