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World Bank’s report warns against use of hazardous chemicals in oil exploration – The City Review South Sudan
By Binia Elizabeth
The recent report released by the World Bank about South Sudan’s Natural Resources Review has warned against the use of hazardous chemicals such as mercury in oil exploration.
The document launched on Monday stressed the need for sustainable practices to protect water resources and the communities.
“The use of hazardous chemicals for example, mercury in unregulated operations contaminates water sources affecting fisheries and local communities for example, the Akobo (Pibor) River, which is the biggest river on the east is heavily impacted by massive exploitation of gold upstream in Ethiopia,” the report said.
There have been several reports of birth defects in oil-producing areas, especially in Ruweng Administration Areas. However, since then, no substantial finding has been made on whether it is linked to oil pollution.
Nevertheless, the report recommended that formalizing the sector and implementing sustainable practices are crucial to mitigate these impacts and ensure the long-term viability of both the mining and fisheries sectors.
The document establishes that large-scale mining can also lead to deforestation, habitat fragmentation, and loss, with substantial impacts on biodiversity including wildlife and fisheries, if not well managed.
It further warned about the current oil and gold mining activities taking place in the country, saying such activities pose local risks to wetlands and the southern parts.
However, the oil industry in South Sudan has been the foundation of the country’s economy, contributing billions of dollars annually in export sales and 90% of the government’s revenues.
“Oil infrastructure is currently located in limited areas but these are close to major wetlands, and have been associated with several instances of local pollution, and have also been affected by extensive flooding in recent years.”
“If oil production were to be significantly expanded in the future, expansion of existing fields would bring them closer to the core areas of the Sudd and Machar wetlands,” the statement read.
In the report, gold has been noted as the only mineral currently mined in the country, and extractions are purely artisanal.
The activity it is primarily takes place in Equotoria with an estimated 60,000 miners working in Kapoeta alone, at 80 different locations including Nanaknak, Lauro, and Napotpot.
The World Bank’s report said formalizing operations and enhancing regulatory frameworks are essential to unlock these potential minerals to benefit the country.
In 2015, the national government began issuing new exploration licenses aimed at attracting investment and diversifying the sector beyond gold to include minerals like copper and nickel.
However, the report noted that heavy oil extraction often leads to significant habitat destruction, affecting forests, wetlands, and aquatic ecosystems.
“The extraction process may also contaminate surface and groundwater with harmful chemicals, adversely impacting fisheries, aquatic life and terrestrial wildlife,” the report said.
Meanwhile, artisanal and large-scale, commercial mining can lead to deforestation, habitat destruction, and water pollution, affecting both biodiversity and local communities reliant on these natural resources.
“Artisanal gold production already affects protected areas in the south. If the extensive exploration licenses lead to a large expansion of artisanal or the establishment of large-scale mining, then there is a potential for major impacts on land and Rivers in the northwest and south, including the southern part of the BBJL,” the report said.
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