by Esther Pabou-M'Baki, Congo-Brazza, October 1999
THEME = ECOLOGY
For a long time, talk of sea and coastal
pollution has been taboo
among oil magnates in Pointe-Noire,
Congo's economic capital.
Now, scientists, NGOs
specialising in ecological matters and the authorities,
are
getting their act together to do something about this
pollution
A great deal of hard cash is involved in the oil industry but its growth has an impact, not only on nature, but also on the population living close to the oil fields. That areas surrounding Pointe-Noire are affected by marine and coastal pollution, cannot be denied. "The threat is there", states Mr. Vincent Téliane Tchicaya, Press Officer at Pointe-Noire's city hall and chairperson of the Associations of Congolese Ecologists. "It's a clear-cut situation made worse by the coastal formation which is sandy and flat".
There's a lack of reliable and current studies, so it's still not possible to evaluate how badly Congo's coastline is damaged by the oil industry. Reliance has to be placed on the experts's reports and the local population's complaints, in order to be convinced of the problem's gravity. According to Martial Djimbi Makoundi, director of the Ministry of Mineral Resources' anti-pollution unit, the problem reveals itself by "oil pouring into the sea, particularly in oil-producing areas. For example, there's tar on the beach in Pointe-Noire. This seepage doesn't just come from fishing industry wastage".
The inhabitants of Pointe-Noire fear for their health. Faustin Nzila, who always buys fresh fish on the beach from local fishermen, says that fish caught in the sea are now increasingly giving-off an "oily" after-taste. Habrarri Mossassi who lives in a fishing village and has just bought a fishing dugout, puts it this way: "The water's getting darker in colour. It sometimes becomes dirty and the fishermen catch fewer fish. Lately, they've had to go further and further away in the hope of returning with a good catch. Pollution prevents us from doing a good job".
Since oil production got under way, no catastrophic oil slick has been noted. But the officer in charge of the nature conservation project in Conkouati Reserve, 160 km south of Pointe- Noire, says: "During these three last years, we have recorded oil slicks on the coasts. We've taken samples of tar and grease from way up the Conkouati Lagoon which is one of the rare protected areas of this region".
Pointe-Noire's citizens are worried about the growth of the oil industry in the Gulf of Guinea. In 1997, the countries of the region were already producing 39 million barrels per day. And marine pollution knows no frontiers. The geographer, Léonard Sitou, points out that the "oil spillages which threaten the forests and the coastlines of the two Congos (RDC and Brazzaville), also originate from neighbouring Gabon and Angola".
At Pointe-Noire, people point an accusing finger at the oil tankers - "they're threatening our health". Jocelyne Mambou used to swim in the sea - now she just looks out at the sea. "Since the tankers started discharging oil off the coast, my friends and myself have stopped swimming in the sea". Scanning the horizon filled with smoke from the Warf installations, she continues: "Lately, it's been getting excessively hot in the city. Could this be because of the gases which are burnt-off for days on end?"
In villages (especially in N'Djeno) situated close to Congo- Brazza's border with the Cabinda enclave, the farming situation is getting worse. Harvests are destroyed by pollution. The villagers complain: "We haven't had a good harvest for some years. I can no longer pay my children's school fees, which I used to manage easily. We don't know what's happening", declares Jeanne Ndembe. The same goes for the people of Loango, a village some 20 km from Pointe-Noire where the crops are shrivelling up. The local people blame oil pollution for their woes.
Indeed, Loango could disappear one day. Erosion is advancing and has destroyed nearly 900 km of land. One chief puts it this way: "We can't close our eyes to what's happening. We can't do anything against the pollution. I've complained several times but the authorities don't or won't take any action. Loango Cemetery, which is a historical site, could disappear. The French Customs Authority was originally established in our village, and the first customs officer to die here is buried in the cemetery. The sea is now within twenty metres of the tombs and, if we don't watch out, all the tombs will disappear beneath the waves".
The local people say it's all because of what's happening in the Pointe-Noire Bay. Since the port of Boscongo was built there, the natural ebb and flow of the tide has been blocked. One local inhabitant explains: "Once the sea has crashed up against the harbour walls, it falls back and looks for another exit. Its speed and strength is such, that when the water arrives in the Bay of Loango, nothing can stop it. The way things are, Loango could one day be under the sea and all the historical sites could disappear as well. Ways and means must be found to protect our environment from the ravages of nature".
The oil companies are ready with their reply. They display diagrams dealing with environmental issues. They want to make you believe that the growth of the oil industry has done nothing to harm the ecosystem.
AGIP-Congo is one such company. In a leaflet giving information about the Kitina Oil Field, AGIP stresses that the oil field has "been established in conformity with the criteria of environmental protection. These have been drawn up by AGIP with the Republic of Congo and its coastal zone especially in mind. From the word "go", care has been taken to respect the requirements of the country in which the company is present".
ELF-Congo's chief accountant insists: "The local population is wrong in thinking that we have no regard for their health. Each year, our company spends large sums of money in helping them". ELF-Congo reminds people that since January, their company has provided the power house with fuel to ensure the streets are lit at night. Also, in 1998, the company provided the wherewithal for patient-follow-up in the TB Centre.
People say the NGOs working for nature conservation are not doing enough to fight against pollution. The NGOs in question are quick to reply: "Look. We can only do so much. We speak out against what's happening. We protest, but unfortunately we're not the decision-makers", replies Yves Mbama, an NGO leader.
Marcel Tati is in charge of the Conkouati Reserve, an ecological project. He advises flexibility in working with the oil tankers. He says: "In policing the environment, order and discipline are the order of the day. But we don't want to be policemen. So what do we do? The NGOs with particular interest in nature conservation, discuss with the oil companies how to set up appropriate mechanism for avoiding sea pollution." In November 1998, the oil companies twice worked in close cooperation with his team. In 1997, the American company, Chevron, financed a televised documentary about the Conkouati Reserve.
In March, the Mineral Resources Minister organised a Workshop in Pointe-Noire. The aim was to determine how to coordinate sea and coastal pollution prevention in the Gulf of Guinea. Representatives from the authorities, the civil society, scientists and the oil companies, called for preventive measures to be taken against pollution. Some of these measures are:
- the establishment of a regional network for detecting pollution;
- the systematic development of information on questions relating to environmental protection;
- the establishment of environmental teams and appropriate research programmes in the field of the environment;
- to continue efforts on a regional basis for co-operating in the control of sea pollution.
Let us hope these efforts will have some effect.
END