Kingdom has 88 radiation detectors at borders — EMRC

AQABA — There are 88 radiation detectors at the Kingdom's land, sea and air crossings, according to Nuclear Security Director at the Energy and Minerals Regulatory Commission (EMRC) Luai Al Kiswani.

On the second day of a media tour organised by the EMRC, which started with a visit to the passengers’ terminal in Aqaba, Kiswani noted that the first airport in the Middle East to provide a radiological detection device is King Hussein International Airport in Aqaba in 2004 after the Iraq war due to the scrap trade activity at that time.

There is a security committee in every border crossing to control radioactive materials or any radioactive contamination, and if present, it is returned to the country of origin, Kiswani said, noting that 35 cases of radioactive contaminated materials were seized at all border crossings in the Kingdom since 2010 until March 2021.

The passengers’ terminal, which connects Egypt and Jordan, has three radiation detector devices for cargo and passengers as well, Kiswani noted.

There are atmospheric monitoring stations that calculate the percentage of radiation in the surrounding environment, fixed stations to examine the soil periodically and also mobile stations across the Kingdom.

Kiswani also pointed out that the EMRC is researching the possibility of establishing a laboratory for nuclear criminal evidence, which will be the first of its kind in the region.

According to the Aqaba Company for Ports Operation and Management’s annual figures for 2013-2021, the total number of passengers coming and leaving Jordan is 2.789 million, and the total number of trucks coming to Jordan from Egypt is 167,000.