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‘Air pollution in Rivers caused by FG’s inability to provide petroleum products’

By Ann Godwin, Port Harcourt
23 October 2018   |   4:09 am
Stakeholders in Rivers State have blamed the black soot occurrence and air pollution in the state on Federal Government’s failure...

Stakeholders in Rivers State have blamed the black soot occurrence and air pollution in the state on Federal Government’s failure to adequately provide petroleum products in the country.

The stakeholders, comprising academics, environmentalists, traditional rulers, civil society organisations (CSOs), oil and gas regulatory agencies and security personnel, among others, argued that the gap created room for patronage of illegal petroleum products, which is the major cause of the soot menace in the state.

They noted that while people in the rural areas demand for bulk kerosene, urban dwellers demand diesel, lamenting that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) was not providing sufficient products for consumers, thereby creating a thriving market for artisanal refiners.

These submissions were made in Port Harcourt yesterday at a workshop on Mitigating Particulate Matter Emissions-Soot Pollution Associated With Oil And Gas In Port Harcourt, organised by the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA).

Lead Convener of Stop The Soot Campaign, Eugene Abels, said it was disheartening that for over three years, the state government had raised issue of soot at all levels, but the challenge still remained unresolved.

“There are several artisanal refineries in the state because the demand for petroleum products like kerosene and diesel are high. If there is no demand, supply will be useless,” he stated.

Abels further blamed government for failure to fund the regulators and agencies that should have regulated activities of illegal refiners, adding: “There is no clear enforcement on the distribution of illegal products due to lack of funds.

He pointed out that people are dying of cancerous diseases daily in the city, adding that most very sick persons now occupy hospital beds in Port Harcourt and other places in the state.

Speaking, Director General of NOSDRA, Peter Idabor, said since it has been established that soot is hydrocarbon-based, illegal activities in the oil and gas sector and the burning of stolen crude by security agencies could be responsible for the soot.

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