The acid spill

Apart from the election, the biggest event lately has been the acid spill at Dili port. It has taken a few days to piece the bits together but I think it goes like this.

A container was dumped at the port (last weekend ?) containing over 20,000 litres of acid which was leaking. This resulted in closure of the port area (for about 3 days) to the general public and evacuation of surrounding areas including guests at Hotel Timor and the Kiwi soldiers from their base next door. The IDP camp between Hotel Timor and the port was asked to evacuate but they refused , claiming it was a ploy to get them out.

At one point, the nature of the acid was not certain so a conservative approach was taken. Experts from Australia were called in and confirmed it was HCl (hydrochloric acid) so the no-go zone was reduced after a couple of days.

Most of the acid leaked into the sea where it would be rendered harmless. Sea water contains salts, the main one being NaCl (ie sodium chloride) and anyone who has done school chemistry should know that HCl plus NaOH (ie sodium hydroxide) produces salt (NaCl) plus water (H2O). There are more than enough free hydroxide ions to allow the HCl to break-down. Other chemicals may not have been so friendly.

At some point, someone announced that one should not eat fish for a few days. This probably explains why a couple of guys I know in the construction industry said their workers refused to eat any fish back at their canteen. The eating recommendation was quickly reversed but too late for some.

It turned out the acid was on its way from Indonesia to Australia but when a leak was discovered, it was off-loaded in Dili. It highlights the fact that the port probably had no protocols for dealing with this sort of problem, the ship did not know how to handle it and the acid was probably stored in an unsafe manner in the container and possibly not identified correctly.

I believe the ISF (ie OZ component of the international security force) managed the clean-up.

Feel free to correct me if I got anything wrong here.

The real power struggle

There are a couple of power struggles going on here – in the “corridors of power” and in the “generators of power”.  Who knows what is going behind the corridors of power but behind the generators of power is some sort of battle which is being realised as continuous rolling power cuts.

If you are fortunate to have a generator, then you may not even notice too much but if you happen to be located near to a generator that sounds like a Mac truck idling under your bed, you tend to notice.  Particularly when it runs all night just to keep your body temperature at the cutting edge of sleeping efficiency.

I still do not know the real story but I have heard two takes on this.  One is that the diesel fuel supply was contaminated with water and the other that a cheap (and bad) batch of fuel was purchased.  And with no fuel testing facilities here, it seems to be taking a very long time to resolve.  I did see that some sort of government committee made a special inspection of the generating facilities in a response to all this.

There have been about 3 weeks of rolling cuts now, anything from 3 to 6 hours per day with the odd day much more than that.  It will of course, depend where you live and I am unsure if both the generating plants are affected in a similar way.

For many people, this is not even a discusson point any more.

Coffee report updated

On 19 November, I reported on the local coffee industry but didn’t give figures and I should give a likely correction as well. 19.11.2006 The Coffee report

Firstly, oil income has probably now displaced coffee as the primary source of export earnings.

Cooperative Cafe Timor is the biggest coffee producing entity in the country so the figures I have are from them. Delta coffee elected not to get involved in the 2006 harvest due to the security problems. I am unaware of what exporting Ensul coffee may or may not do.

As for CCT figures, the final figures for 2006 are :

  • Production was 2300 tons which is down from over 3000 tons in 2005. Security issues were the main cause of a reduction and it is estimated production would have been around 3000 tons.
  • Three critical weeks during harvest time were lost due to unrest.
  • CCT employ around 700 to 900 workers (mostly women) at their dry processing facility in Akadera-hun in Dili, around 300 workers at their drying facility in Tibar and another 20 at their premises in Comorro.
  • The delayed rains in the 2006/07 wet season will most likely lead to a reduction in the 2007 harvest to around 2500 tons.

Yesterday was the first significant rainfall of this year. I can recall about 3 separate heavy rains in December but so far, that has been it this wet season.

Water problems

If you can’t talk about bottoms and personal hygiene, do not read any further. This article is for scatologists only. Repeat : “Warning Will Robinson”.

For the last week, I have self-diagnosed myself as having a mild case of giardia. In the past, I have had the real deal but this is very mild. If you have had it, you know the drill – bad wind, burping, distended stomach, bloatedness, following by the occasional evacuation. Add on to that a bit of lethargy and loss of energy.

For me, it has been manageable this time except for the day I “followed through”. May I thank the Lord for permitting this to happen while at home and not (for example) while riding my bike.

While in South America, I was not so lucky. Three hours on a bus in the Andes, precipitous drops right outside the bus window, arrive at destination, feel warm wetness in nether regions, ask partner to check rear-end, confirmed severe accident and I didn’t even know I did it. Emptied contents of underwear, hauled them straight back up and proceeded to tackle the day as planned (sans toilet or any personal hygiene products). That was one of those days when you just want to go into a coma until it is all over. And the next day, I was in a coma.

I had pondered whether you should all know this, but I grabbed the half-consumed plastic bottle of commercially acquired water from last week, opened it up and … it smelt like a botty burp (ie toilet water). I had another bottle in the corner that had been opened for a couple of weeks and … no smell of used toilet paper. Conclusion : I copped a bad bottle and domestic environmental conditions were not to blame.

I am not the only one who been affected by reverse enjoyment, and I have got off lightly as the main detrimental effect has been loss of energy and the strong desire to lie down and have a good deskansa. (Or malinger around my laptop and write blithering dross.)

The word around town is that the culprit is the large plastic water barrels that many people use for drinking water. I doubt that any expat would risk tap water, whether it be the Dili piped supply or bore water. The OZ doctor has had a big run with this one and the drug that appeared to fix it up for severe sufferers was the classic anti-giardia drug, Bactrim. Hence my self-diagnosis.

It seems to be well-known that the bottled water company has quality control issues at regular intervals. I assume this means “run out of chemical A … she’ll be right for a week”, or “UV lamps broken … better order some more”. A long-term resident once told me to never use the barrel water. So one reverts to the smaller 1.5 l and 0.6 l plastic bottles, which has been the house rule for last 2 or 3 weeks.

It is somewhat disconcerting to cop a bad small bottle as well. But I did buy it in LosPalos last week and I had never seen this particular brand in Dili before. Warning over.

TL, Global Warming and environmental footprints

One could argue it is warm enough here already, but with the UN report on global warming about to come out, I thought I would oar in and comment on the TL contribution.

Back in my western world, I have long practised the art of turning off lights, rejecting useless packaging, recycling to the point of analness, using a compost bin, cycling when feasible, public transport when possible and no doubt some other particularly rectal pursuits.

In the expat world, many expats may have their electricity paid for by employers or at least, bundled into an accommodation package.  If you live in a hotel or serviced apartment etc., this will certainly be the case. So do you turn off un-necessary lights, turn off the air-con – usually no.  And when the power blackouts cut in, there is often a diesel generator to take up the slack. (Note that the last 2 weeks has been pretty bad for power cuts. I heard that the issue is contaminated fuel this time.)

And there is no recycling system, so bottles, cans, paper all go into the same bin. Maybe there is some separation done at the rubbish dumps (whatever that is). For locals, waste disposal is into public concrete bins with easy access for the local pigs to snorkle up every last morsel of nutrient. After the pigs have done their job, the left-overs are burnt. This often causes palls of dark smoke which a few months ago, was disconcerting as it was not clear if this was another house going up in flames in the distance.

You do see plastic water bottles being recycled for re-use as containers for diesel/petrol and “tua” – the local palm wine and fire water. And occasionally, glass drink bottles are seen doing a similar job.

But it seems like many expats have a large 4WD and use it for everything. If one wishes to avoid breaking out into a huge sweat, the 4WD with AC on full bore is the norm. And with current security concerns, it is seen as better to travel in 4WD with windows up and doors locked at all times. Use of taxis has plummeted following targeting of taxis by rock throwers and reports of taxi drivers conducting dubious practices in their vehicles particularly with foreign women.

The air is a big winner. With no industry to speak of, it is only the vehicle pollution to worry about. Without strict controls on vehicle emissions, some vehicles are a disgrace in this area and can cause significant local distress to those otherwise appreciating the fresh air in their vicinity.
At the end of the day, it is the same old picture. The locals at the lower end of the income scale find themselves unable to contribute much to CO2 footprints. While the well-heeled foreigner probably is at the other slothful end most of the time.

As for the rise of sea level, most of the damage will be in Dili where the already crumbling sea walls cop a pounding during storms at high tide.  There are many breaks in the walls and it is not uncommon to see the esplanade covered in sand after a storm.  I guess this will get worse.  Mostly, it will upset those that have the means to sort themselves out.  The people at the lower income end will probably just move their small rustic palm frond and tin shacks further away from the beach.  Most places on the northern coast tend to drop sharply to the sea so probably will not have much of a problem, except maybe Com.

Wet Season has arrived

Today and tomorrow are public holidays and a number of expats have chosen to start their Christmas/New Year holidays right now. Meanwhile, for those that stayed there was the opportunity to have a look at a medal presentation for the nation’s independence heroes at Independence Park.

I was occupied doing some domestic repairs so didn’t get to the 2pm start, but went along at about 3:30pm. For the last 3 days, dark clouds have loomed over Dili, thunder has growled a bit but no sign of rain. Today, this all changed and at about 3:45pm, the heavens opened and deposited large quantities of water in quick time for the next 30 minutes. I have seen worse but not for a long time. But it was enough to suspend activities at the medal presentations.

Guests huddled under the limited cover available and a number of more formally dressed guests looked pretty shabby after a soaking. The President remained immaculate in his very smart suit, which he wears very well.

So that was it. The presentations will continue at 10am tomorrow, the gardens have had a good soaking, the dustbowls are now mudbaths, the street drains are blocked as usual, you have to wade through 150mm of water to get to the front gate and the roof at home still leaks.

But it finally rained.

The Wet Season Crisis

The subject of the wet season crops up in conversation regularly.  Not so much for the potential humanitarian crisis, but just for a change from the relentless dry.  Normally, I would check my facts with a meteorology service, but it seems like it has rained about twice in the last 8 months.

From about a month ago, the humidity ramped up but although there has been the odd afternoon with dark clouds, there has been nothing.

Maybe I should get out more but I have still not seen a water storage dam in the country yet.  Groundwater appears to be an very important resource.

Anyway, a result of the endless dry period is bare hills.  These are the same bare hills that I could hardly believe possible when I first arrived in the wet season. The ground is gravelly and where there is no gravel, powdery bulldust.

So this is what the people in the IDP camps face.  Bulldust plus a couple of deluges and they will turn into mud and sanitation will be a nightmare issue.  The deluges themselves may drive some of them back to their old homes (if they still exist).  Yeah, it will be difficult.

Too Much Wind

I have been suffering with too much wind lately. Not my own, but nature’s version. For the last week or so, it has actually been quite windy and combined with the fact it is dry season, you end up with a lot of dust and in my case, far too much coughing – its genetic.

The wind whips up the sea into a furious 0.3 metre chop. Even at this modest fury, the waves break over some of the seawalls along the esplanade. At the weak spots (outside the Malaysian Embassy and near the Farol lighthouse), it has not been uncommon to see piles of sand covering half the road. And to my amazement, road crews actually cleaning it up several days later.

The transition from 95+% humidity in summer to the current dry conditions is intriguing. That’s if you call 28 degrees and 80% humidity dry ! The hills have burned off to a dry beige colour and the significant reduction in ground cover means walking or running in the hills is even more dangerous on the loose gravelly surface.

It is a tradition to burn off all the dry grass on the hills. While I understand this is good for the soil, I imagine some pretty ugly erosion is also the result when rains finally come.

Phew … I must have writers block. I’m actually talking about the weather !

Water – can I have some ?

I think I have had enough. Its 2 weeks of next to no water in the house. It varies but it seems if you run the shower for 10 minutes in the morning, it will eventually come good. I have measured it at 5 litres per minute at its best. Apparently low-flow shower heads are in the range 7 to 12 litres per minute back in the real world. And high-flow shower heads (as my mother preferred) run at up to 20 litres per minute.

But at night, water will run for about 20 seconds then disappear. Nothing from any tap. Outside, there is a tank full of water and a pump which should be an on-demand pump but it runs 24 hours 7 days a week. There is a big problem. Either the pump is buggered or there is a huge leak somewhere.

Anyway, so I arrive home after a day of intense physical activity. No water. So I decide to try filling the bath from a hose directly from the water bore. I get my Milo, come back and find the bath half full of dark grey water and it smells of diesel. I suspect someone’s diesel tank for their generator has polluted the underground source where we have our water bore.

I contemplate converting to Buddhism again but realise that taking lives is not part of the deal so Buddhism may not be my best option.

Postscript : After careful analysis, it appears that the 3rd segment of hose that I added, had been used to siphon diesel.

I’m with the pigs !

Quoting from Agence France Presse

Dili’s stray pigs must go: East Timor’s FM
DILI, Feb 20 2006

Stray pigs roaming free in East Timor’s capital are a disgrace and must be dealt with before they affect foreign investment, Foreign Minister Jose Ramos Horta said Monday.

“I have never found another place in this world, especially beaches, crowded by pigs that roam freely and foul public spaces like the beaches” in Dili, Horta told a press conference on a new hotel investment here.

If nothing was done to rid the coastal capital of the beasts, “it could possibly discourage interest of enterpreneurs to invest in East Timor,” Horta said as he called on the city’s mayor to take action.

“Dili is a capital. Dili is a barometer of the economy of Timor Leste because about 80 percent of economic activity takes place here,” the minister said.

Well, I am with the pigs. No mention of the dogs who wander equally aimlessy or even the goats and chooks. Sorry, Jose. First it will be the pigs, then the goats, then the chooks, then the dogs, then no street peddlars, then cleaning up the rubbish bins, then fixing the potholes, then no lean-tos and tents by the beach, then no selling of fish by the roadside, no coconuts, then comes traffic lights, then high rise buildings, then speed cameras, microlets will be replaced by buses. Then no-one would want to visit.

C’mon Jose. Don’t follow – lead. The other countries allow dogs but only with a licence. Lead the world. Introduce pig licences. And what about pig shows, pig obedience classes, fetch the stick Oinki – Jose, just do it !