The soot menace in Portharcourt has become too damaging for the silence it has earned in some quarters. Residents complain daily on radio and social media about how the soot has become an everyday threat to their survival.
This is what I saw… I was terrified. Had to tell him to go back to net so I could sure i wasn't dreaming. Mind you we clean/wash the net every week… little did we know it's been FILTERING SOOT low-key so it wasn't just working as a mosquito net but also as a CARBON FILTER 😥 pic.twitter.com/y5iOtvwy54
— 'deji (@bobskino) March 3, 2018
On the surface, their complaints seem much like the howling of a people desperate for attention. However, one needs to see the number of children lying in hospital beds due to breathing difficulties to understand that there is bound to be a wide-scale tragedy if adequate measures are not put in place and urgently too.
Bought an air purifier just 3 days ago to improve the air quality at home and reduce the exposure of my family (esp the kids) to the SOOT… so we can breathe clean air and live long without having to worry about temporary diseases or lung cancer in the future 😥 #stopthesoot pic.twitter.com/jvCaenzXrZ
— 'deji (@bobskino) March 3, 2018
The Rivers State government through the ministry of health has in time past, outlined measures that the government has taken to mitigate the sooth disaster, but it is safe to say that the measures are not enough and much more needs to be done.
@segalink in Rivers State we have a #soot problem and nobody seems to be paying attention! distinguished Sirs,pls lend your voice in Condeming the sickening and wanton destruction of lives we have suffered too much without any relief insight @adeyanjudeji @TouchPH
— Soso Brown (@Soso69) March 4, 2018
The side effect of this disaster might result in a disease outbreak of epidemic proportion, shorter lifespan and mass death among residents of the Town.
The people should be given the benefits of doubt that government can rise up and tackle life-threatening issues like the soot menace. What the people have seen from the government are loads of theories with little efforts put in place.
In Nigeria, it is very simple. When people are complaining about something, ride the time and wait it out. They will get tired of complaining and stop. Eg: #ENDSARS , fuel scarcity, soot situation in PH, herdsmen killing, etc. None resolved, but complaints ve stopped or reduced
— Nnaemeka (@OruhNC) March 3, 2018
Residents now sleep with nose masks on. Air condition filters are clogged with dark soot and you wonder how much of it has gotten into human breathing systems.
The federal ministry of environment seems to play deaf over this issue. If the federal government lay claims to oil and gas resources of this region, it should, without recourse to being asked, lay claims to this soot disaster and own the struggle for a cleaner environment in Portharcourt.
Government is there to protect the people during such disaster and not abandon them to their fate. The Rivers State Government and the Federal Government through the Ministry of Environment to should work together with stakeholders to bring this issue under control.
The federal government should pressure the military to stand down all their anti-bunkering activities and perchance for burning down modular refineries in the creeks and find another method to it. The outcome is the black soot menace.
Oil companies operating in the region should also be forced to use an alternative source of production. The atmosphere is saturated.
