8 May, 2009 - Customs officials in Phuentsholing are in a dilemma. They have successfully confiscated tobacco products worth over one million ngultrums since 2007, but they don’t know what to do with the stockpiled contraband in their store.
“We can’t burn, dump or sell the tobacco to where it came from,” said a customs official. “How long can we go on storing them?” he wondered.
Seized goods in the past were burnt, but after they came under environment scrutiny, they started their storage.
“Selling it back would be against world health organisation (WHO) principles, as we are also a WHO member,” said an official from the health ministry.
An official from the national environment commission (NEC), during a trip to Phuentsholing recently, told Kuensel that burning or burying tobacco on a large scale could pollute air and underground water respectively.
However, the issue could be solved after the draft Waste Management Act is passed, according to the director general of NEC, Sonam Yangley. “For the moment, it must be decomposed in an environment-friendly way. Later, we could use the incinerator to burn tobacco without having to worry,” he said.
Health officials suggest burying tobacco in a deep dug pit after removing non-biodegradable plastics first. “Burning has adverse effects on both environment and health,” said the health ministry spokesperson.
The tobacco task force will be meeting today to discuss the issue in Thimphu.
By Samten Yeshi
s_yeshi@kuensel.com.bt
