PENGASSAN urges action on soot menace in Port Harcourt

 The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has called on the Federal and Rivers State governments to urgently put an end to illegal refineries causing soot in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital. According to the trade union, the soot, in the form of thick black smoke which covers the entire […]

 The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has called on the Federal and Rivers State governments to urgently put an end to illegal refineries causing soot in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.

According to the trade union, the soot, in the form of thick black smoke which covers the entire Port Harcourt city, could be the root cause of some of the respiratory problems being experienced by inhabitants of the city.

In a statement signed by the PENGASSAN National Public Relations Officer, Mr. Fortune Obi, the soot is not getting any serious attention because most of the people affected are still performing their daily task while they swim in this soot that has been confirmed by experts to be carcinogenic.

“The black soot settles on everything and finds its way into the corners of living rooms no matter how hard people try to stop it. Food items in Port Harcourt markets are as well not spared from getting mixed with this deadly soot that is ever present everywhere,” he stated.

Obi said PENGASSAN in collaboration with other concerned bodies and citizens have severally created awareness to call the attention of the government to act swiftly and put an end to whatever is the source of this killer soot.

“Majority believed that the source of the soot is due to ‘’incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons as well as asphalt processing, burning of barges/vessels used for oil bunkering and illegal artisanal refinery operations in some parts of the state.

“There is need for collaboration among all stakeholders to end this environmental hazard. We therefore call on the State and the Federal governments to put strategic action in place to finally address this black soot and put an end to whatever is the source,” he said.