Friday , 29 March 2024
enfrit
The Rhodes oil plant issue is stirring up social conflicts on the East coast. Peasants and exploiters are actually conflicting with the Task Force put in place by the state to put an end to smuggle and illegal exports. The ecological disaster is huge. It is a crisis within the crisis.

Rhodes oil plant traffic: the ecological disaster

Ecological disaster, social tensions and economic crash, the Rhodes oil plant traffic is definitely denting the country. The Task Force put in place by the transitional authorities is entirely operational, and unveils illegal lumberyards. In 2009, the environmentalist associations put forth a total of 10 000 ha of forest surface having been plundered. According to the platform Voaharin’i Madagasikara, one mere hand has more fingers than a Ha has standing grown-up trees left after one of such raids. 

The disaster is appalling for ecology, even more since some parts of these forests are located inside national parks’ protected areas. Younger trees of less than 37 cm long diameter are also being targeted by wild raids. Around 60 years are necessary to get grown-up Rhodes oil plants ready for exploitation. The disaster is even more serious because the reckless cuts are not made in a suitable manner. 

The environmentalists are calling woodmen to be experts controlled by Environment and Water and Forests Management ministries’ technical agents. Since raiders do not give a damn about the future, only professional woodmen can be aware of the exploited area’s management. In its fall, cut down timber is actually causing damages to the other trees and to the surrounding vegetation. Moreover, raiders are cutting down less relevant trees and building rafts out of them for the timber transportation  

Traffic outbreak 

The Ministry for Environment led Task Force’s seven departments has multiplied the operations during this latest couple of months. Their actions are reaching as far as precious wood seizures by the police forces, up to the enhancement of custom controls.  In Mid-October, the first big success took place in the harbor of Toamasina with the discovery of 91 containers of Rhodes oil plants. The illegal lumberyards track-down operations are meeting quite a lot of success as well around North Mananara. 

The export of precious wood log is officially forbidden. The state delivered some authorizations to exporters over a restricted period. And this is default the exploited by rabid smugglers. Thus, the Task Force has regretfully noticed the shipment of 80 containers in Vohémar, by the beginning of October. It is now suspecting that corruption from local administrative officials is at the origin of the allowance of 360 containers, now blocked by the authorities, to make to Mauritius. 

In order to infringe the law, smugglers have an authorization, but, moreover, insert a far larger quantity than usual in their cargos. Environmentalists are regretting the fact that smugglers are legally allowed to go forward after the payment of 72 millions of ariary fine, definitely not deterrent enough in face of the cargo’s returns. 

Rhodes oil plants are no more seldom on the market after several months of illegal cut-downs. Many local transport operators are making a living out of the sector. First, there are peasants, in charge of smuggling a 400 kg heavy log out of from the forest. Then, sailors are shipping the cargo up to a harbor. This illegal activity is being boosted by the crisis currently engulfing the food culture sector. Although, no big fish has yet been arrested, even if the masterminds are meant to be famous high ranked officials.