National Army repacks 160 extra tonnes of hazardous pesticides

In the period from 1 December 2007 to 16 February 2008 the National Army’s special units repacked and stored some 160 tonnes of obsolete pesticides that had been found in Moldova in addition to the amount stored earlier, the Ministry of Defence said in a press release, quoted by Info-Prim Neo. These pesticides were repacked with the Government’s financial support, which allocated 800,000 lei for this purpose, said Maj. Mariana Grama, manager of the project NATO/PpP-OSCE/ENVSEC concerning the disposal of hazardous pesticides and chemical products. The territory covered by disposal works includes the districts of Stefan Voda, Causeni, Anenii Noi, Basarabeasca, Cantemir, Orhei, Glodeni, Cahul, Edinet and Drochia. In the period 2003-2008, the Government spent 7 million lei (about 425,000 euros) to repack and store obsolete and hazardous pesticides. In addition, NATO offered 538,000 euros under the pesticide disposal project, while other international organisations donated 150,000 euros for this purpose. Maj. Grama said that 1,150 tonnes of pesticides will be disposed of by the French company “Tredi”, to be destroyed in France, within the framework of the Persistent Organic Pollutants (PoPs) Stockpiles Management and Destruction Project, funded by the Global Environment Fund and the World Bank and implemented by the Moldovan Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources. Until now, some 460 tonnes of pesticides, including 40 tonnes located and repacked this year, have been transported to the destination.