One year after, Rivers still exposed to cancerous emission

One year after a poisonous, black emission identified as soot threw residents of River State into panic, which caused the setting up of a task force to address the challenge, the emission still continueds. Daily Trust reported in February 2017 that the emission was visible in cities and towns as Port Harcourt, Obio Akpor, Ahoada, […]

One year after a poisonous, black emission identified as soot threw residents of River State into panic, which caused the setting up of a task force to address the challenge, the emission still continueds.

Daily Trust reported in February 2017 that the emission was visible in cities and towns as Port Harcourt, Obio Akpor, Ahoada, Ikwerre, Oyigbo and Degema.

The emission had subjected residents to fears of health hazards compelling them to take several measures such as shutting doors and windows, regular bathing and washing of hands and faces as well as wearing of nose masks to protect themselves from the black carbon believed to be cancerous.  

A World Health Organization’s (WHO) report in 2012 described black carbon soot as a good indicator of combustion related air pollution and was recently recognized as a short-lived climate force which contributes to warming the earth’s atmosphere.

Concerned residents had also in February 2017 took to the streets of Port Harcourt to demand an immediate remediation to what they described as a life threatening emission. 

The protesters had called on the state government to take drastic measures to curtail the emission of the black carbon. They also called on companies operating in the state to adopt safety measures that are environmentally friendly in their operations.  

While many residents blame the emission on the activities of those involved in illegal oil refining, others place it on companies that run asphalt disilting plants.  

Worried by the development, the Rivers State government in 2017 set up a task force to tackle the issue of soot emission. The task force had the Commissioner for Environment and his Information and Special Duties counterparts as members with a mandate to investigate and resolve the environmental challenge.  

Shortly after the inauguration of the task force it swung into action as it shut down three companies in Port Harcourt suspected to be emitting black carbon soot.  

Only a little result was achieved by the task force as one year after its inauguration, residents of Port Harcourt and it’s environ are still exposed to the black carbon soot. 

The issue came up recently when the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, blamed the life threatening black soot on the activities of security agencies who he accused of setting ablaze illegal refineries and stolen crude oil. 

Wike claimed that the Federal Government had paid deaf ears to request for support by his administration in addressing the environmental challenge.

The governor, who spoke during a special appearance on a television programme at the government house in Port Harcourt, said security agencies must find alternative ways of destroying illegal refineries. 

“We set up a technical committee to investigate the black soot problem.  The committee’s report indicated that the black soot was largely a product of the destruction of illegal refineries by security agencies. 

“It is not within the purview of the state government to tackle and control the security agencies. Therefore, we met with them and appealed that they find alternative ways to destroy the illegal refineries. 

“We also appealed to the Federal Government to intervene, but so far they are yet to do anything,’’ Wike said. 

The governor explained that the Rivers State government’s committee has taken the fundamental steps of checking the indiscriminate burning of tyres, stressing that the major challenge was the manner the security agencies destroyed illegal refineries. 

Epidemiological studies have provided sufficient evidence of the association of cardiopulmonary morbidity and mortality with exposure to black carbon. 

According to a WHO report, toxicological studies suggest that black carbon may operate as a universal carrier of a wide range of variety of chemicals of varying toxicity to the human body. 

The report further indicated that black carbon is the sooty black material emitted from gas and diesel engines, cool fixed power plants and other sources that burn fossil fuel. It comprises a significant portion of particulate matter which is an air pollutant. 

According to the report, black carbon is a global environmental problem that has negative implication for both human health and the climate. 

Medical experts are of the opinion that inhalation of black carbon is associated with health problems, including respiratory and cardiovascular disease, cancer and birth defects. 

The hazardous implication of the soot has instigated debate across social and professional lines with both health and environmental experts proffering one solution or the other.

A resident, James Eke said: “We try as much as possible to stay indoors mostly in the night. When the weather is hot we stay outside in the night to take fresh air but we don’t normally do it now because the soot is more prevalent at night. We also have regular bath and washing of hands and faces to get rid of any contact with soot.”

Reacting to the allegation by Governor Wike, the spokesman of Operation Niger Delta Safe, Major I. Abdul, said their operation in the Niger Delta applied strictly to the mandate given to them.

He said: “Our mandate is very clear as it concerns our operation in Niger Delta. Our mandate is to protect oil and gas infrastructure from militants and other criminal elements in the Niger Delta.”

Also, the spokesman of NSCDC Rivers State Command, Mr Akin Oguntuase, said they are not involved in destruction of illegal refineries or impounded petroleum products.  

He said the command has a dump site at Iriebe in Obio Akpor Local Government Area of the state where all impounded illegal petroleum products were kept.