Speaker
Description
Tanzania has established a radioactive waste management regime in the country to ensure sustainable management of radioactive waste management withing a country. These efforts include safe and effective management of radioactive waste while protecting public health and the environment. One of the notable sustainable approaches is the establishment of the Central Radioactive Waste Management Facility (CRWMF). The CRWM was commissioned in 2005 and stores radioactive waste from various nuclear application in medical, industrial, and research activities. Facility guidelines and procedures for safe handling and storage of radioactive waste have been established to ensure protection of workers, environment and the public in general. The updating of national inventory of radioactive sources within the country is regularly done and 31 disused radiation sources have been conditioned and secured for Long Storage through an IAEA supported project of Spent High Activity Radioactive Sources (SHARS) in September 2009.The review of legal framework infrastructures for the management of radioactive wastes has also been done to accommodate the requirements of International basic safety standards. Tanzania has made huge achievements in establishing training programs through its research and development department on management of radioactive waste, comprehensive inventories of both in use and disused radioactive sources, capacity building for professionals through academic and professional courses and the improved collaboration with local and international partners including the IAEA for various technical cooperation programs. Tanzania is also envisaging the use of bore hole technology as a long-term solution for management of radioactive waste management. Despite the achievements, the lack of infrastructure and limited technical expertise for conditioning of radioactive waste, and high cost in security management are some of important challenges.
