Govt Agency Investigates Type and Source of Oily Contamination in Layou River

Chief Physical Planner at the Physical Planning Division, Dr. Genora Joseph, has revealed that her agency is investigating the type and source of an oily contamination at the Layou River. Joseph said the investigation is in response to the complaint filed by villagers of Layou about the oily sludge in the river; the complainants alleged that the thick, viscous matter is a leakage from an asphalt plant operating in the area.

Following a tour of the river and the perimeters of the asphalt plant, Joseph said she and two senior colleagues from her agency verified the oily pollutant in the river, but could not establish if it was a bituminous material seeping from the asphalt plant in Layou village. She however confirmed that the river is contaminated by thick, oily deposits floating in the vegetative area of the river banks.

“We found no evidence of leakage from the plant; we also investigated the perimeter of the plant and the river area in the immediate vicinity of the asphalt plant and in all those investigations, we found no evidence of leakage of bituminous material from the plant,” she reported.

She however disclosed that this is an ongoing investigation and that her team will get to the root of the incident by identifying the components of the oily substance and tracing its exact trajectory to the river.

“We are looking to ascertain what is the material that was in the river; the type of oil that was in the river with a great level certainty so that we can identify where it originated and how it came to be in the river,” she stated. “We are also considering the possibility that the leak could have originated from heavy equipment operating in the area.”

She added that her agency will collaborate with the Environmental Health Department and other related agencies to investigate the matter, and she urged the villagers to be on the lookout for people who dump industrial wastes indiscriminately in the river with a view to reporting them to appropriate authorities.

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