Oil drilling health impacts & risks in Sudan’s Jonglei
By Aboor Ayii Riak
May 3, 2007 — On April 19th, 2007 the White Nile (British Oil Company) has started drilling or extracting oil at Kedilei in what used to be cattle camp for Juet community in Jalle District of Bor County in Jonglei State. It is my understanding that Jongulei state Governor Thon Leek and Bor County commissioner Jok Aring have not taken any action to raise the health, social, and environmental concerns oils’ extraction will inflict on the surrounding local citizens lives. In this essence, as a citizen of Bor County, I would like to bring attention to GOSS, Governor of Jongulei State, Bor County commissioner, as well as White Nile (oil company) that the people’s right to health, clean water and clean air should not be ignore, and the entities involved should be make aware of momentous environmental impacts, and risks oil extraction or drilling will cause. I am not accusing any of the above offices or individuals holding those offices of any wrongdoing rather I am pleading to them to reconsidered taking precautions, and safety procedures that will safe-guard oil-drilling without hampering the health and lives of local citizens. Leadership of the Jongulei State & Bor County need to be well-inform about what these drillings great threats will be on the lives of their constituents, and communities they are representing in the Government of South Sudan. At the same time the offices they hold are in charge of the health and security issues of these local and indigenous citizens, and this matter should be at their figure tips, and they are responsible for ways to stopping oil drilling until safety precaution are taken.
The GOSS has a right to extract or drill oil any where in Southern Sudan to generate its revenues but that it should not be done at local citizens lives’ expend. Here are the reasons why I wrote this article to inform the GOSS.
(1) Spillage of oil poses an ever-present greatest health threats on local lives, and it is an issue that had been well known to humankind around the world that oil spillage had imposed health problem on every community located near or around the oil fields. If the oil spill occurs on flowing water, sea, or on the ground, the consequence can be devastating. Oil spill pollutes the ground, waters, and kills animals that come in contact with it. No Plant will growing on the ground in which oil has spill or no animals will return to an area where oil has occurred for decades or even longer.
(2) Air pollution is a huge second threat that is also cause by oil drilling. Some area are rich with minerals, and these sites are not only ravaged but harmful dusts and gases are produced which cause air pollution. When dusts settle on neighboring ponds, lakes, and streams these waters become uninhabitable by fish, animals and even people.
(3) Blowout is other existing risks which can be very difficult to control in open areas like that Bor County where wind blow always during the summer and around Christmas time. Some of the gases that come with oils from the ground are more flammable for instance hydrocarbon vapor-mixtures and the dramatic impact of ignition of these mixtures on the surrounding structures and personnel are greater if the flam is out of control. Unexpected gases vapor cloud can ignite and bring about combustible fire which can result into death as well as burning of structures around like this picture of oil blow-out in Kuwait Oil field in 1991.
Moreover, I do understand that Government of South Sudan is looking for some ways to generate its revenues to meet its fiscal responsibility but it is equally important for the GOSS to comprehend that it can not generate its revenues at people lives’ expend. Doing what is happening now is putting the lives of local citizens’ health at risk, and if this continues unresolved it could therefore be viewed as a failure by leadership representing the affected citizens. I would also like to point out that it will be seen as a failure to Bor County commissioner office if it fails to raise and these concerns to both GOSS and White attention and sit down to discuss with them.
In conclusion, the county commissioner Mr. Jok Aring, and Governor Thon Leek should pursuit ways to stop the unhealthy drilling of oil at Jalle district in Bor County to protect the health of their constituents and communities they represent in the GOSS which they are part of. The threats are great, and they include health issues to humans in the nearby surrounding, plants and animals death as well as human death. I am urging the above mentioned two offices that now is the time to do it right then to act later when it is too late to save lives.
* The Author is a Sudanese, and is residing Pennsylvania, USA and can be reached at [email protected]