Water pollution: Niger community cries out, DPR intervenes

The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) in Niger said it has intervened to find lasting solution to the problem of pollution of water sources in Doko community of the state as the villagers cried out for help.

The state controller of the department, Abdullahi Isah Jankara stated this Wednesday while speaking with journalists in Minna.

He stated that the department has carried out integrity test on some fuel tanks in a filling station operating within the community to ascertain that they are not leaking fuel into the community water sources.

He assured the villagers that the problem is not from the filling station, adding that all stakeholders have been mobilized to look into the cause of the contamination of the village waters by petroleum.

He said DPR is concerned over the hazard posed by contaminated water in the community, which he said, has been recurring for almost two years, especially during the raining season.

He said, “We have done integrity test on Jagaba filling station at Takogi in Diko community in Lavun local government of Niger state and established no linkage from the tanks which the community earlier suspected to be the cause of the village water contamination.

“We are collaborating with relevant agencies to find a lasting solution to the matter that has been going on for  years between the villagers and the filling station.”

He advised the Niger State Environmental Protection Agency (NISEPA) to take up the challenge of discovery of the problem.

Spokesman of the community, Mr Samuel Yisa Saidu has lamented the danger the pollution on the health status of his people adding that “we have no other safe sources of drinking water presently.”

He expressed fears of possible outbreak of epidemic in the community appealed for the intervention of governments, NGOs and well to do individuals.

He pleaded with the Niger state government  to come to the aide of the community by providing portable good drinking water, ascertain the health status of the people and find out the actual causes of the contamination because all water sources were contaminated with petrol in the community.

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