Parliament Orders Environmental Audit In Oil Producing States

This article was last updated on May 25, 2022

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The move is aimed at ensuring protection of the environment and human beings and animals from the negative impact of the oil production in the country.

It came to pass yesterday after the Committee of Lands, Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment presented an investigated report to the House that raised a three hour heated debate.

Presented by the Committee Chairperson Hon. Bor Gatwech Kuany, the report investigated the impact of oil production in Unity and Upper Nile States and how the oil companies are managing.

According to the report, oil production has contaminated significant number of cattle, vegetation and human posing great danger to their health.

The report cited that around 100 hectares of forest was devastated by contaminated water and was left to evaporate barely without any further protection in Palouch area since 2000 to 2008.

The produced water to the ground along with extracted oil crude holds toxic concentrations of chemicals and minerals that spur dangerous impact on humans and the environment. There has also been a great negative impact on soil by salinity said the report.

In its recommendations, the Committee has called the Ministry of Environment to table an environmental bill soon to the parliament in an effort to regulate the usage of the environment.

South Sudan till date still has no environmental law that protects the use of the environment.

It also called the executive and the legislature to enact a law specifically on oil and environment. It also called the oil companies to treat produced waters, manage oil spills and leakages and guard animals and humans from having access to oil operational areas.

It also called the Ministry of Environment to contract an environmental expert to carry out social and environmental audit in the affected areas.

While passing the report, parliament has resolved the committee together with the Ministries of Mining and Petroleum and that of Environment to present an environmental assessment report after every three months to the parliament in an effort to ensure swift protection of human beings, animals and the environment from further negative impact of the oil production in the country. 

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