Pest control companies are not allowed to use chemicals that have not been tested and approved by the authorities as per the Administrative Order No. 19 issued by the municipality in 1994.
Sharjah - Awareness drive in Sharjah on how to safely get pest control done.
Published: Fri 18 Mar 2016, 11:00 PM
Last updated: Sun 20 Mar 2016, 8:03 AM
Pesticides are useful in the prevention of insect damage to crops, garden plants, and buildings, and keeping them out of our homes where they can spread disease and ruin food stored in pantries and bins. But safety is of utmost concern when using these toxic chemicals and Sharjah Municipality is ensuring the same by launching an awareness programme to educate the public on safety measures and precautions when getting pest control done.
The move comes in order to prevent death and serious illnesses caused by inhalation of banned pesticides being used by certain unauthorised pest control companies that use strong banned chemicals, at times diluting them with water, in homes.
Look out for this information> The list of authorised and approved pest control companies is available on the municipality's website
> Look out for annually updated list by the Ministry of the Environment of the banned and controlled pesticides in compliance with the provisions of international conventions and standards set by the European Union and international organisations
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Speaking to Khaleej Times, a top official at Sharjah Police said that the inhalation of strong pesticides has caused serious illnesses and even deaths in the last three years.
He said that the municipality has tracked down many unlicensed firms that have been circulating flyers and advertisements in which they give their contact details.
According to Administrative Order No. 19 issued by the Municipality in 1994, pest control companies are not allowed to use chemicals that have not been tested and approved by the authorities.
"The dangerous pesticides are usually imported from Asian countries like India, Pakistani and China. They are in the form of tablets and are used to get rid of insects," the official said, adding that many unscrupulous pest control companies buy cheap chemicals and add water to them.
All pesticides being imported into the UAE are subject to analysis by the Ministry of Environment and Water, which does not allow any pesticide not approved by the World Health Organisation or the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations.
Strict measures have been initiated after several local residents expressed concern about the safety of chemicals used by firms that offer pest control services, following a series of deaths and hospitalisations of people who have inhaled the poisonous chemicals.
Jaffar Ali Jaffar, Director of the Environment Department at the Sharjah Municipality, said that the pest control section has intensified efforts to ensure public safety. Recently the pest control section began putting up stickers in buildings across Sharjah - in Arabic, English and Urdu - warning against banned pesticides. The municipality is also educating watchmen to now allow unauthorised companies to provide services to the tenants.
The list of authorised and approved pest control companies is available on the municipality's website, and residents can also call 993 to get the list.
What to do in case of suspected poisoning: > Immediately open doors
> Come out to an open area rich in oxygen
> Call an ambulance.
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Stricter licensing procedures
Additionally, he pointed out that Sharjah Municipality has recently tightened the licensing procedures for companies offering pest control services. According to the rules, the company must first get a preliminary licence from the economic department for a period of three months, after which a municipal review will be conducted by the Department of Solid Waste. For this, the company must have a pest control engineer with a Bachelor's of Science or Bachelor of Health Bachelor of Agricultural Engineering or Bachelor of Chemical Engineering degree with him. The engineer is then subjected to a test, and only if he passes, he is given permitted to conduct "anti-insect" work.
In the absence of such an engineer, the pest control company is given a temporary permit for a period of four months with the payment of an insurance amount until it appoints a qualified engineer.
In case of suspected poisonings, Jaffar instructed the residents to immediately open doors and come out to an open area rich in oxygen and call an ambulance.
Officials at the Chemicals and Hazardous Waste Department of the Ministry of the Environment (MoE) said that the ministry is exerting efforts to develop and update environment-related legislation and rules through legislating the use of pesticides in cooperation with the relevant local authorities.
The move is aimed at controlling the circulation of pesticides and rationalising their use in line with the ministry's strategic plan dedicated to managing and ensuring tight control over the use of pesticides.
Registered companies and organisations must comply with the specified annual quantity and the pesticides must be used as determined by the ministry. They are also required to provide quarterly reporters to indicate pesticide trade figures.
The ministry annually updates the list of banned and controlled pesticides in compliance with the provisions of international conventions and standards set by the European Union and international organisations. To ensure the quality of pesticides used in the country, the Ministry carefully evaluates and analyses imported pesticides before releasing them to the market. -
afkar@khaleejtimes.com
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