STAR FEAT Toxic towns: Tes toxicity in Kadu
Rido village is a settlement located behind Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company (KRPC), 16km away from Kaduna, capital of Kaduna State in North-west Nigeria. It is a sparsely populated multilingual community. Juji Barde village, too, is situated behind the company not far from Rido.
KRPC operates as a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), refining crude oil into high quality petroleum products and manufacturing petrochemical and packaging products.
People living in the two villages allege that toxic wastes from the company in the form of gas, liquid and solid substances cause health problems. Gas flares and heavy smells pervade the air around the company most of the time ,while oily substances are spewed directly into the nearby Romi River.
Laboratory analysis on samples of soils and water obtained from both villages and effluent released by the company into a river, indicated the presence of heavy metals that are a threat to human health.
Mr. Jarmai Yusuf, the Ward Head of Juji Barde, said the company was built very close to their houses and farms, and no safety measures were given to the people to deal with the toxic waste emitted by the petrochemical firm.
He said “we believe the toxic gas released in April this year was the cause of many health problems in the village. Black soot settled in the surrounding and contaminated our foods. I couldn’t eat dinner that day; my wife had to prepare another one for me.
“There were similar incidences in the past and when I visited a private clinic in Marabar Rido, a medical personnel told me to stop smoking cigarette after examining my body. But I never smoked cigarette in my life. So, I believe it is the smoke and a gas with the foul odor of rotten eggs from the refinery that we constantly inhale that causes health disorders,” he said.
Danjuma Garba, the Youth Leader in Juji Barde, said toxic gases emitted by some of the units of the refinery are harmful to the residents. He said soot emitted was allegedly harmful to plants and acidifies the river and well water.
He said, “Sometime in April this year during the company’s production period, there was a sudden loud blast, which those of us living around heard. The blast emitted black smoke and soot which settled all over the village. We made complaints before the company, and some officials came and took pictures and promised to take measures to prevent a recurrence.
“The smoke caused headache, cough and vomiting. The company distributed tins of liquid milk. They even repaired our borehole after our complaint.”
He said villagers haven’t done comprehensive medical tests to determine the causes and extent of their illnesses.
He said Juji Barde village relies on well water both for drinking and domestic use but the level of underground water drops during the dry season, making the nearby tributary of Romi River their alternative source of water.
He said, “Chemicals and oil from the company tend to contaminate the water when all the refining units are functioning. The company dug one borehole for us but the pumping device is faulty.”
Maryam Shu’aibu is the Women Leader in Rido who said oily substances allegedly released by the company have seeped into the soil and contaminated the well water. She said exposure to toxic substances from the refinery during prenatal development in mothers ,had affected fetal growth and caused birth defects.
“My son was born with a birth defect like many other children. Many kids had genetic variation that resulted in a speech defect, identified as nasal voices,” she said.
Sarkin Baka in Rido said contaminated substances from KRPC could be allegedly found in food, water, buildings and soil and have caused infertility and other reproductive problems. “I suffer inability as a man and I believe it is caused by toxic waste,” he revealed.
He said villagers have not had any medical analysis or carried out environmental assessments on their claims due to poverty, illiteracy and ignorance.
AbdulRazak Gwarjo lives in Rido with his family. He also said the company emits pollutants into the environment that contaminate food and well water. “In 2012 the company dumped toxic waste in our farms which led to the death of dogs and poultry birds. The victims haven’t received compensation,” he alleged.
He said the sum of N7 billion reportedly released by the government after the incident for cleanup was diverted ,and villagers had written a complaints letter to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
He said most of the married women and men in Rido village complained of having one form of reproductive health problem or the other, allegedly linked to the toxic waste from the refinery. “The men complain of weak erection and infertility, while the women complain of frequent abortions and lack of ovulation,” he said.
Medical records obtained from the only primary healthcare facility in Rido, run by Chikun Local Government Council indicated that diarrhoea, vomiting, fever; abdominal pain, headache, painful urination and weight loss were some of the illnesses common in the area.
An analysis of well water samples from Rido by two independent laboratories indicated the presence of heavy metals including lead (0.1449Mg/L), manganese (0.6914) and cadmium (0.0717) above the allowable limits by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and World Health Organisation.
Nigerian Industrial Standard (NIS) for drinking water quality compiled by SON indicated that the presence of lead above limits can cause cancer, affect mental development in infants, interfere with vitamin D metabolism and become toxic to the central and peripheral nervous system, while too much manganese and