Senegalese officials say they have asked for 2,700 tonnes of ammonium nitrate – the chemical which caused a huge explosion in Beirut – to be removed from Dakar, which is so close to residential buildings.
The amount of Ammonium nitrate in Dakar’s port is nearly as much as was in the Lebanese capital.
Officials say the chemical is part of a 3,050-tonne consignment destined for neighbouring Mali With the owner of the consignment asking to store the chemical in a warehouse at Diamniadio, about 30km from Dakar.
But the ministry of environment has not yet granted the request, saying the site has not met all the required conditions, including carrying out an environmental and social impact study.
“We have asked the owner to make arrangements so that the product can be transported outside Senegal,” one of the ministry officials Baba Drame told the AFP news agency.
It remains unclear who the owner of the consignment is and what it is intended for in Mali.
