On October 12th, Ambatovy supported an emergency response simulation exercise organized by the Regional Committee for Industrial Risk Management (CRGRI) under the National Office of Risk and Disaster Management (BNGRC), the Prefecture of Toamasina, and the Atsinanana region. The simulation was an opportunity for the region to test a newly updated Intervention Preparedness Plan (PPI). The scenario, involving an air emission from the Plant site, took place in the communities located to the north of the Plant and included the sounding of an alarm and a community evacuation. As is the case with most crisis response drills, this exercise was successful in determining the level of the region’s crisis response preparedness, including the level of preparedness of the different actors, as well as the opportunities for improvement.
The health and safety of our surrounding communities is of paramount importance to our company. Ambatovy has been working with the Atsinanana region and the BNGRC for many years in strengthening its preparedness for industrial risks and disasters as the region is home to many different industries apart from Ambatovy, including shipping and freight, fuel transport, and chemical production and storage. Part of this collaboration has been the establishment of the CRGRI, which developed three PPIs that deal with industrial risks specific to Ambatovy’s operations.
