The Radiation Protection Authority of Zimbabwe (RPAZ) is setting up shop at the country’s ports of entry to enforce new Government health requirements on vehicle imports from Japan.
Vehicles
imported from Japan now require prior clearance to ensure they are not
contaminated by radiation from the 2011 accident at the Fukushima Nuclear Plant
following an earthquake and the accident was rated 7 on the INES.
The measure,
which may hit imports of second-hand vehicles is to ensure that affected vehicles
are decontaminated.
Such health
regulations are generic, applying to any country with a serious fairly recent
nuclear station accident, but Japan is the only country at present affected.
RPAZ
spokesperson Mr Chamunorwa Murava said they will soon dispatch inspectors to
check on conformity issues at Beitbridge Border Post.
A team to
carry-out feasibility studies at Chirundu Border Post will be availed and the
team will also move to Plumtree.
“Government on
November 27 gazetted Statutory Instrument 281 of 2020, which compels those
importing vehicles from any country that will have experienced size four plus
nuclear disaster to adhere to a new set of rules,” said Mr Murava.
“In this case,
we have the Fukushima disaster that occurred in Japan in 2011, where most of
Zimbabwe vehicle imports come from,” he said.
“So we are now operationalising that legal instrument at
Beitbridge, which will be our pilot port of entry. This will be rolled out to
all borders in due course.” Mr Murava said the vehicles will be tested for
radioactive debris.
The Herald
understands that at least 200 mostly pre-owned vehicles from Japan arrive
through Beitbridge daily.
“The idea is to
give people assurance that they are safe in terms of protection from
radiation,” he said. “You are aware there are concerns on diseases related to
radiation. We just want to make sure that the comfort of knowing the car is
inspected and is safe.”
Most diseases
related to or caused by radiation exposure include all cancers, non-malignant
thyroid nodular disease, parathyroid adenoma, posterior sub-capsular cataracts,
and tumours of the brain and central nervous system.
When vehicles
arrive at the transit-shed, he said the authority will inspect them and issue
clearance certificates to importers on site.
According to
the legal instrument, importers will pay US$10 for contamination inspection for
light motor vehicles and minibuses and US$20 for buses, heavy vehicles, haulage
trucks and trailers.
If
de-contamination of vehicles is needed, importers of light motor vehicle and
minibuses will pay US$50 while such a service for buses, heavy vehicles,
haulage trucks and trailers is pegged at US$100.
The fees can be
paid in Zimbabwe dollars at the prevailing rate of the day. Herald
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