Dec 22, 2019(Nyamilepedia) — Responding to oil spills and fire outbreak in Budang County – Northern Liech State, the State Minister of Information, Lam Tungwar Kueinguong, threatens that GPOC will be held accountable for the damage caused to the people and the environment.
“GPOC will be held directly responsible for the oil spills and the burning of redundant or the spilled crude in Budang county – Northern Liech State since yesterday , what a shame for a company that doesn’t care for the life’s of habitual people [lives of the people and habitats]”
“This is way too much for the entire Northern Liech state citizens and we condemn this reckless operations by GPOC in the strongest term possible as a community.” Lam continued.
Hon. Lam warned the mining company to intervene as soon as now or else the national and the state governments will hold them accountable.
“If they don’t intervene quick than the Government of South Sudan as well Northern Liech state should held [hold] this particular company responsible for the impacts in term of health and environment [environmental] effects the civil population are [is] going to go under in this hot season because of oil pollutions.” Lam reiterates on his Facebook account.
While officials like Lam Tungwar are blaming the mining companies, other officials and critics are blaming the former minister of petroleum, Hon. Lol Gatkuoth, and the government of Northern Liech State for rushing the re-opening of oil fields without conducting feasibility studies in order to put in place mitigation measures to prevent hazardous events like this from recurring on.
“Instead of blaming the mining companies Lam and other government officials should blame the government that desperately re-opened the oil fields without putting environmental concerns and interest of the local population first” Said a government official who preferred not to be named due to sensitivity of the incident.
“It is not the responsibility of the mining companies to care much about the people whose government does not care” He added.
So far neither the GPOC nor the local government has released any report on the casualties and the impact this fire and oil spills have had on the local populations.
Earlier reports, however, show oil pollution in the area has led to death of humans and cattle as well as birth defects and deficiencies among the newborns.
