South Sudan minister shields oil companies over pollution
South Sudan’s minister of petroleum Puot Kang Chol has said oil companies are adhering to the expected environmental standards in the upstream and mid-stream facilities.
“The ministry of petroleum is following up the operation on daily basis to make sure that environmental and safety risks are averted and impacts of any incident are mitigated. All the companies are in compliance with the ministry of petroleum’s directives,” Chol said.
Chol was speaking on Monday before the council of states sitting at the general accountancy training center in Juba.
“The ministry of petroleum is continuously subjecting the oil companies to annual cost recovery audits and regular environmental audit starting with the current ongoing environmental audit,” he said.
In May 2023, a baby born with deformities to Nyaret Bol and Duoth Dau Kuol from the oil producing region of Ruweng Administrative Area died after being treated in Juba.
In 2019, a baby named Piny Mayak Geer was born with deformities and flown to German for medical test which revealed chemicals in the baby’s blood.
Josephine Napwon, the national minister of environment and forestry, said the oil companies are not adhering to environmental standards and best practices, adding that there is need to impose mitigation measures and necessary safe guards in the oil fields.
“It is worth mentioning that since South Sudan inherited the oil operation from Sudan, the oil companies are not adhering to the expected environmental standards and best practices in the up-stream and mid-stream facilities resulting to the environmental problems manifested through the recurrent incidents of deformities in a number of children in the oil producing states,” Napwon said.
