All asbestos removed from Ile Perseverance houses |17 April 2013

The asbestos has been replaced with calcium silicate boards from Australia and Philippines, which are now being covered with cement and other materials in a project Trojan contractor engineer Tamer Abbas said will hopefully see all 147 units in that section of the housing estate ready for occupation by the end of the year.

Mr Tamer was speaking when the principal secretary for land use and housing Yves Choppy inspected the houses yesterday.

The engineer told the media it took 100 expatriate workers and their Seychellois supervisor five months to complete the work.

When fears were expressed that the asbestos introduced in the houses could pose danger to the future occupants of the houses if the material was not got rid of, the government decided to have the asbestos removed from the 123 three-bedroom units even when experts said it was all right as it would be covered.

The other 24 houses had not been built and were completed without the use of any asbestos.
The material has been buried in water on the reclaimed land, where experts said it is safest as it poses danger only when it is inhaled in the form of dust.

“The experts said a depth of two metres is enough but we buried the asbestos five metres deep, which they said is even better,” said Mr Tamer.
“We did not dismantle the boards so they are intact and the material has no chance of spreading.”

He said the houses cost around R650,000 each and are therefore no cheaper than block houses except they are faster to build but have the same lifespan.