Atomic body pledges safety on uranium

Prof Mkilaha..

Exploration and mining of uranium in the country will meet all the internationally accepted safety standards and practices, the Atomic Energy regulator pledged yesterday.

The body urging wananchi to further support government development initiatives in the sector.

This was said yesterday by the Atomic Energy Commission (TAEC) director general, Professor Iddi Mkilaha, at the University of Dar es Salaam. He said utilisation would emphatically focus  on safety of the people and the environment.

“There has been a lot of debate on the matter recently, but the fact is that our lives are always exposed to various forms of radiation on daily basis.

“We need to embrace the uranium exploration but we also need to come up with solutions of how to minimise risks. Tanzania is a member of the IAEA.

“We will adhere to the IAEA regulations when mining finally begins,” Professor Mkilaha said.

The commission has already embarked on capacity building for its staff adding that up to 12 people have so far been enrolled to various institutions in Europe the US in a bid to strengthen their capacity in handling matters pertaining to uranium development.

Professor Mkilaha said TAEC will continue to undertake research in all the country’s uranium prospective areas and other mining areas across the country in a bid to ensure safety.

“We worked closely with Mantra Tanzania during the first phase of its Mkuju River Project and we will continue to do so,” he added.

The Unesco World Heritage Committee mid this year accepted Tanzania's request to make changes to the territory of the Selous Game Reserve to pave the way for the 400 million US dollars Mkuju River uranium Project development by Mantra (T) that will give the Tanzanian coffers an annual gross turnover of at least 250 million US dollars for 15 years.

Source: The Citizen,http://www.thecitizen.co.tz

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