South Sudan urged to balance oil production with environmental protection

JUBA, South Sudan — Stakeholders have called for stronger environmental protection and accountability in South Sudan’s oil sector, urging authorities and oil companies to balance crude oil production with the need to safeguard communities and the environment. The call was made during a roundtable discussion organized by the Eastern Alliance Energy Platform (EAEP) at Nilepet headquarters in Juba on Thursday. The meeting brought together civil society representatives, oil industry officials and experts to discuss environmental challenges affecting communities around oil-producing areas and possible measures to address them.

Held under the theme “Environmental Impacts of Crude Oil Production Activities in Communities Surrounding Oil-Producing Areas in South Sudan,” the discussion focused on the environmental risks associated with petroleum operations, the importance of monitoring pollution and the responsibility of industry regulators and operators to prevent and address environmental damage. Eng. Peter Manyang Mawut Atem of Climate and Environment Actions urged stakeholders to prioritize environmental protection, warning that poorly managed oil production could cause lasting damage. “Oil and gas are very detrimental to the environment. And if nothing is done in a correct way, you will end up permanently destroying the environment,” Manyang said. He described oil as a non-renewable resource and stressed the importance of protecting the environment, which supports human life and livelihoods. “Oil is a resource, but it is non-renewable. So, seeing it as non-renewable, we need to be cautious about the environment because the environment is where we live and it is the provider of everything that we have,” he added. GPOC cites environmental assessments and audits Lin…