Matter being resolved, says owner
Members of Ngo Ndam community of Nnobi in Idemili South Local Council of Anambra State are being forced to leave their homes, allegedly as a result of dark smoke billowing from the Seaman Rice Mill located in the area.
Some affected families claimed they did not know what was being built near them until the factory started operation. A community spokesperson, Mr John Enwedo, who narrated their ordeal, said the mill arrived at the place last year. He said: “When production started, we noticed very dark smoke billowing from the factory. Now, our entire kindred is covered with smoke.
“Many residents now experience itchy eyes. Some have started suffering body rashes, while noise emanating from the factory does not allow us to sleep. My aged mother has been falling sick frequently since the factory started operation. She also has rashes all over her body.”
Another community member identified as Ugonna, said they had cried out to the community leader, who allegedly has not done anything. He said: “We don’t know what to do. All we need is for the government to come to our rescue. The owner of the factory has also not done anything since we started lamenting about the problem.
“The factory operates 24 hours and we no longer sleep in our houses. The pollution is too much, and unbearable. We complained to the community leader, Webster Okonkwo, a month ago. We are still waiting for his action. He has, however, promised to attend to the problem.”
Enwedo said the owner of the factory bought the land from two neighbouring villages, Umudiokpala and Umuchiagha, adding that when construction began, people had no idea what would follow.
He noted: “Initially, we thought he was building a warehouse, until dark smoke started coming out from the factory. A member of the affected families has approached him and he promised to do something about it. We don’t know whether an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was conducted and approval given before the factory was built. Nobody could give us that information.
“We want the factory to be removed completely because this is a residential area. This is not an industrial area where factories of this nature should be sited.
“Many people in this area have relocated their livestock and other domestic animals as they were dying in large numbers, and daily, as a result of the hazard.”
He added: “Our tenants have abandoned their rented houses and moved to safer areas. We can no longer fetch water from our houses because the water is completely dark. Wastewater is also flowing into some compounds which we believe is dangerous.”
Also, an agricultural extension consultant, Mr Emma Okafor, said given what was happening, plants in the area may no longer produce fruits and tubers because the dark smoke covers the leaves, making it difficult for photosynthesis to occur.
However, the owner of the company, Chief Emeka Agbanari, said the matter was being resolved with the leadership of the community. He said: “We are still test-running the machines. You know that in the process of a test-run, there will always be errors of this nature. We are fixing the problem. We are working on it currently. The people who installed the machines are on the ground working.
“We have talked with the people, and as someone from this community, I won’t do anything to undermine the health of the people. The chairman of the community talked to me about it. And even on Sunday, we held a meeting concerning the impact the mill is having on the villagers.”
Agbanari added: “We have also agreed to bring back the people that installed the machines, and they are already fixing the necessary corrections as we speak. The problem is that the tower conveying the smoke was not properly directed, but it will soon be corrected.” He maintained that the mill does not emit dangerous materials, stressing that what the factory uses is wood, which it burns.
Nevertheless, the community has written a petition to the Anambra State government, seeking intervention. Responding, Commissioner for Environment, Felix Odumegwu, said his ministry sent a technical team to assess the situation, following the petition, adding that the report is being awaited.
