By Bisola Adeyemo
More than 5,000 residents of Port Harcourt and other parts of Rivers State have signed a petition against emissions of black substances called soot in the atmosphere.
The black soot is a by-product of the incomplete combustion of carbon in the air. It has been associated with asthma, bronchitis, coronary heart disease, and some other respiratory illnesses.
In an interview, a resident lamented that lots of people are experiencing the soot which causes breathing issues, and some other health problems.
State and federal government intervention is highly required to tackle the deadly air pollution, he said.
“I am experiencing the soot every day. The painful part of it is that after talking like this, we don’t see any action from the government.
“If you go to the villages, nobody is farming again. Nothing is happening there. It is not that the government don’t know about it. The government knows, so why can’t they stop it?
“This soot is a big problem. They should help and stop it.
“Most times if I put my hands in my nose, you will see this black substance coming out.” Another resident, Chijioke said.
“This soot has negative effects. I have been having catarrh for a long time now. So we are looking onto the government to help us.”
On his part, a middle aged man said, “I am married with kids. So it is even worse for children because sometimes you see them struggle to breathe while sleeping.
“So, we keep water beside the bed and when they start coughing, we give them water to drink. The health challenge the soot is causing is too much,” he stated.
Punch reports that it has been five years since the soot was first observed in Port Harcourt.
The Rivers State Government has attributed the soot to activities of illegal oil refiners, burning of tyres amongst others.