Fearing Environmental Oil Catastrophe
In Kadeth Payam of Guit County, Unity State, cattle keeping, subsistence farming and fishing are the main economic activities that provide livelihood and food security to the local people. Environmental hazards due to discharge or leakage of contaminants from oil extraction sites into drinking water could have reached catastrophic levels threatening people’s lives as well as their livelihood and food security.
According to the Director General, Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources of Unity State, Mr. Yak Kur, major concern arises from water contamination by oil spills, reduction of crop yields and clearance of large forests. “This year alone, dry spell has reduced crop production compared to last year, and areas such as Heglig are feared to be affected by oil leakage and chemicals which enter and contaminate food crops ... what I know is that though the oil companies are trying their best, I think they are not doing enough to protect the environment, and as the state is involved in negotiating for compensation, we hope something productive will come out”, Says Mr. Kur.
In relation to compensation and water contamination in Kadeth Payam, the Deputy Head-chief, Mr. Stephen Ter Chatien said, “I have never seen anything good, since the beginning of the oil exploration in the area. We, the local people face lots of problems such as outbreaks of strange diseases, caused by leakages of the oil into sources of drinking water, while the (oil) companies do less to compensate those affected by oil activities in the area”.
“We are very unfortunate we cannot escape these problems and we have nowhere to go. It is only because we have no power and chance to talk to the president. We could request him to order these companies (to go) away”, Michael Wuno Guor, an elder commented when asked about environmental issues related to oil extraction in the Payam.
A community health worker, Mr. John Chap Riak narrated that, people living within the oil exploitation areas are facing lack of clean water as the borehole they have is salty and had in any case broken down.
According to the vice-Chairperson development committee for Guit County Kerbino Mayok Shiok, people risked losing everything as a result of the oil exploration. “Guit County experienced a disaster in September and October 2008, were 27 people were suspected to have died after drinking contaminated water” he said. “Therefore, a lot of complaint letters have been sent to the government but there has been no response. To meet the oil companies, a person must get permission from security before entering the company offices”, Mr. Kerbino Mayok Shiok further narrates. This makes it difficult to lodge any grievance to the oil companies’ local offices.
Commenting on the issues tabled to him, Dr. Acut Madhut of the directorate of preventive medicine at the Ministry of Health, Unity State said, “Since the beginning of oil exploration in the seventies, many diseases related to water and environmental hazards were being recorded. According to the environmental law, oil companies are banned from disposing chemical waste (pollutants) from oil exploitation into the environment.
“We hear cases about contamination of water as a result of poor waste disposal. For instance in the Rear Payam, Koch County, there was a waste buried in the ground which killed many cattle, leading to evacuation of the locals from the area,” Says Mr. Gai Thor Matay, manager of CORPRHAS, a local CSO in Bentiu.
Commenting on other environmental hazards related to oil activities Mr. Peter Bith, a teacher at Kadeth Primary School raised a concern that, open holes left by the road construction works led to the death of three children in the area.
Social Services and human rights concerns:
However, according to Mr. Marol Tuok, a finance Officer at NAATH Vision a local CSO also formed in the area, there is too much politics in the area making it difficult for the local organizations to be involve in addressing some of the community issues. “We are sorry that our governments are making things very difficult and complicated, but we hope both the international community and the concerned governments will be able to push hard on issues of human rights violation as a result of the oil exploration and exploitation. If the concerned governments and the oil companies are serious about development, they should deal with social services such as training and employment of youth, and construction of more schools and health centers” said Mr. Tuok.
At the WNPOC office in Tharjath oil Field, the deputy production manager Dr. John Beliu declined to talk without permission from his bosses in Khartoum.
- Database Search
- Unpaid Debt A comprehensive overview of the role of the Lundin Consortium in the oil war. ECOS calls upon the Swedish, Austrian and Malaysian governments to investigate whether, as a matter of international law, Lundin, OMV and Petronas 'were complicit in the commission of war crimes and crimes against humanity by others during the period 1997-2003.’ In response, the Swedish Public Prosecutor for International crimes opened a criminal investigation into ‘links between Sweden and the reported crimes’.
- In Depth For more specific information about the Lundin court case please visit the Unpaid Debt dossier.
