Protect people’s lives from oil waste products
Nov 21, 2010
In the New Vision of November 5, it was reported that the residents and leaders of Nwoya district complained to the state minister for minerals, Peter Lokeris that about 68 trips of waste dug out of the oil exploration sites at Buffalo and Zebra drilling sites in Pabit Parish, had been dumped on peo
By Doris Atwijukire
In the New Vision of November 5, it was reported that the residents and leaders of Nwoya district complained to the state minister for minerals, Peter Lokeris that about 68 trips of waste dug out of the oil exploration sites at Buffalo and Zebra drilling sites in Pabit Parish, had been dumped on people’s farmland.
Lokeris assured the people that some revenue from oil and gas would be given to the community. It is absurd that the environment and the lives of people are at stake due to these oil wastes.
Oil wastes contain toxic substances which include mercury, zinc, lead, benzene and toluene. Oil exploration wastes include water, drilling fluids and treated chemicals.
In exploratory drilling, water drilling fluids affect the environment. The effects of heavy metals that are associated with drilling fluids are shown to be minimal because the metals are bound in minerals and have limited bio availability.
Oil-based drilling fluids and oily cuttings have an effect due to toxicity. It is also estimated that for oil-based mud and cuttings, the surface hydrology may result from poor construction practice in the development of roads, drilling and process sites.
Burial or land filling of wastes in pits at drilling production sites has been a popular means of waste disposal in the past. Though pits have been used and burial of non-recyclable materials and drilling solids, evaporation and storage of produced water, completion of fluids emergency containment of produced fluids and the disposal of stabilised wastes.
However, the risk associated with pollutant migration pathways can damage soils and usable water resources if seepage and leaching are not contained.
Land farming and land spreading have also been extensively practised in the past for the treatment of oil petroleum wastes, water-based mud and cuttings.
However, there are potential impacts where toxic concentration of constituents may contaminate the soil and water resource, if an exposure pathway is present. In case of mud and cuttings, the most important consideration is the potential for the waste to have high salt content.
All these are dangerous if exposed on land. The Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) carried out by National Environment Management Authority did not disclose clearly where the hazardous wastes are to be dumped.
Although civil society originations have raised concern in response to the EIA for the clearly production scheme where the mitigation measures for the environment were not clear it has yielded nothing. Also the Agenda 21 of the United Nations and inter-governmental panel on climate change put it clearly that the environment has to be protected in any development process.
The Government needs to engage local communities in the process of the land use planning and EIA since they are the most affected. It should also put to an end the environment degradation caused by oil sector through implementation of a regional project with the purpose to set an integrated management system for oil wastes.
The Government should also introduce the elements of an integrated waste management system to the oil sector.
The writer works with African Institute for Energy
In the New Vision of November 5, it was reported that the residents and leaders of Nwoya district complained to the state minister for minerals, Peter Lokeris that about 68 trips of waste dug out of the oil exploration sites at Buffalo and Zebra drilling sites in Pabit Parish, had been dumped on people’s farmland.
Lokeris assured the people that some revenue from oil and gas would be given to the community. It is absurd that the environment and the lives of people are at stake due to these oil wastes.
Oil wastes contain toxic substances which include mercury, zinc, lead, benzene and toluene. Oil exploration wastes include water, drilling fluids and treated chemicals.
In exploratory drilling, water drilling fluids affect the environment. The effects of heavy metals that are associated with drilling fluids are shown to be minimal because the metals are bound in minerals and have limited bio availability.
Oil-based drilling fluids and oily cuttings have an effect due to toxicity. It is also estimated that for oil-based mud and cuttings, the surface hydrology may result from poor construction practice in the development of roads, drilling and process sites.
Burial or land filling of wastes in pits at drilling production sites has been a popular means of waste disposal in the past. Though pits have been used and burial of non-recyclable materials and drilling solids, evaporation and storage of produced water, completion of fluids emergency containment of produced fluids and the disposal of stabilised wastes.
However, the risk associated with pollutant migration pathways can damage soils and usable water resources if seepage and leaching are not contained.
Land farming and land spreading have also been extensively practised in the past for the treatment of oil petroleum wastes, water-based mud and cuttings.
However, there are potential impacts where toxic concentration of constituents may contaminate the soil and water resource, if an exposure pathway is present. In case of mud and cuttings, the most important consideration is the potential for the waste to have high salt content.
All these are dangerous if exposed on land. The Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) carried out by National Environment Management Authority did not disclose clearly where the hazardous wastes are to be dumped.
Although civil society originations have raised concern in response to the EIA for the clearly production scheme where the mitigation measures for the environment were not clear it has yielded nothing. Also the Agenda 21 of the United Nations and inter-governmental panel on climate change put it clearly that the environment has to be protected in any development process.
The Government needs to engage local communities in the process of the land use planning and EIA since they are the most affected. It should also put to an end the environment degradation caused by oil sector through implementation of a regional project with the purpose to set an integrated management system for oil wastes.
The Government should also introduce the elements of an integrated waste management system to the oil sector.
The writer works with African Institute for Energy