Plant destroyed before it even opened!

(Akhir Lahza/ File)

A massive fire broke out Tuesday at a waste recycling plant in the Abu lidat section of Omdurman. The fire, triggered by an electric short circuit, caused extensive damage to the plant’s infrastructure, a reliable source told the Arabic daily (Akhir Lahza). Khartoum State Cleaning Project supervisor, Malik Bashir said however that the cause of the fire has not yet been determined; citing an on-going police investigation to determine the cause of the outbreak.

The source said the costly plant, the fruit of partnership between the public and private sectors with a bill of over several billion, was built to contribute to economically rewarding environmental sanitation and waste recycling in Khartoum state. The same source revealed that the plant was scheduled to be launched Tuesday, the same day of the fire incident and added that the fully insured facility could be up and running within a short period.

Similar incidents have unfortunately seen a dramatic increase over the last few years; to the extent that such news has become a part of the everyday routine with the official word being “Police investigations are underway”.

What the final reports of police investigations reveal we often never about. Apparently police take so long that people begin to either lose interest or forget what the incident was in the first place! Examples include the incidents at the Afra’a Shopping Mall and the famous Alshami confectionery shop, not to mention countless others across markets in Khartoum state.

A pressing question here would be what safety measures are being taken in public and private sector companies and factories, and whether insurance companies do really verify that safety measures applied are in accordance with internationally recognized standards! Because an incident caused by a simple electric circuit can and should be avoided with proper safety precautions!

The issue needs to be urgently addressed by relevant authorities charged with approving and licensing these industrial projects. At the very least, unsafe projects should be stopped in order to prevent further potential incidents.