Workers dying at Chinese sites rise

Chinese workers dying too

It is not only Ugandans being killed. The Chinese are dieing too.

In one incident, there was tension and fear among workers when a Chinese called Yuding Yong, the manager for water treatment plant at Karuma committed suicide. He left a note advising workers to seek treatment within 21 days or else die from poisoning.

The saga erupted after a machine operator at the site, Innocent Opio, reported to the authorities that Yuding had polluted the water. The managers reacted by detaining Yuding at his residence. Later he was reportedly found hanging with an electric cable around his neck.

The Sinohydro officials have never given an official report about the incident, and several versions of cause of death are circulating.

In one version, another Chinese, Yao Zhong, the deputy project manager, had reportedly told some government officials that Yuding had planned to disrupt the project.

This narrative claims Yuding wanted to damage a machine so that he could not be deported back to his home country after the expiry of his contract. Apparently, Yuding wanted his contract extended and when it was not. He allegedly committed suicide out of frustration.

But when the Sinohydro regional boss, Wang Yantao visited recently, he gave a completely different version.

Yantao said Yuding realised he was about to lose his job, and went in overdrive to prove to his superiors that he could do the job better than anyone and when he was restrained, he got too frustrated.

“He had a weak heart,” Yantao said, “He couldn’t deal with the situation and he was also mentally unstable.”

Yantao’s statement leaves many questions unanswered. Why did Sinohydro hire a mentally unstable person for such a sensitive job and at such a sensitive facility? At what point did Yuding’s superiors discover that he was mentally unstable? If Yuding was indeed mentally unstable, how sane is another Chinese only identified Fang?

Fang is said to have disappeared at night on Oct.14. Soon after, a project van was discovered sunk to the bottom of the waters of the River Nile at the dam site. It was then alleged that Fang was driving the van when is plunged into the river. But no body was found in the vehicle or in the river.

Then there is the case of another unnamed Chinese who also died mysteriously in September 2015. It is alleged that he was killed by hippopotamus.

Energy Infratech, the project supervisor on behalf of government, is concerned about these killings and accidents.

In one of the correspondences to Sinohydro, Energy Infratech’s R.RS Manian wrote: ““I would like to remind you that a number of accidents and incidents have continually been recorded on site much of which resulting from non- compliance. Be aware that breaking health and safety laws and regulations can lead to Prosecution, fines or imprisonment for each and every infringement of the Health and Safety at Work Act.”

Regarding case of Rogers Twine, Energy Infratech, also raised the issue with the Sinohydro contractors. The blasting standards and operating procedure were not followed and the blaster was not competent, it noted.

“We fail to understand as to how such a serious lapse can happen if proper procedures are followed,” Energy Infratech’s Project Manager, R.RS Manian wrote to Sinohydro. As a result of this incident, the contractor was directed to stop all works involving blasting activities throughout the project site.

In an Oct. 6 letter, Manian also noted that blasting procedure was not followed by the blaster in charge.

He added that some blasters’ permits to use blasting materials have expired while others do not have permits from the Internal Affairs Ministry that allows them to handle blasting materials. This, he said, had created doubt as to whether the blasters have necessary experience in conducting a blasting exercise.

“In light of this lapse and following the provisions of the Explosives Act, 1964 and all amendments thereof and all rules there under, you are hereby directed to suspend the blaster in charge of the day until the accident investigation committee submits a formal report regarding the accident,” the letter reads in part, “You are also directed to suspended indefinitely all those so called blasters who have no permits as per the requirements of the laws of the Republic of Uganda until when such permits are acquired.”