Think you have an environmental problem?
COMMENT: Think you have got an environmental problem, asks Mike Mundy? Think again: your problem is probably miniscule when compared with the one recently identified in Calabar Port, located in the southeast corner of Nigeria in Cross River State.
Recent statements from the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) indicate that the port is under threat from fuel fumes and wastages from nearby tank farms which have the potential to trigger an explosion. Reportedly massive erosion and fuel wastage channelled towards the port have brought down perimeter fencing installed by the NPA, serving to increase the scale of the problem.
Olufunmilayo Olotu, port manager Calabar Port, NPA, has identified nearby tank farm operators as the source of the problem. “We have discovered that the activities of the tank farm operators are posing a threat to port operations. The whole place smells of fuel,” she says. She further acknowledges, however, that it is difficult to trace the precise source of the outages. Stevedores active in the port have also joined the protest at this dangerous situation calling for an Environmental Impact Assessment as a path towards solving the problems.
Clearly this is an extreme situation and one that with proper planning, safety measures in place and effective port governance should not be allowed to occur in the first place. It probably sits at the extreme end of the scale of how badly things can go wrong. And add to this situation the reality that the port territory is being encroached upon by illegal communities then the associated risk factor cranks up significantly.
This appalling situation stands as a testament to what should not be allowed to happen in the first place. It is also ironic that it is occurring at a time when the NPA is looking to achieve an uplift in the fortunes of Calabar Port through the implementation of a dredging programme – an exercise that has been tried previously but which proved to be a process open to financial abuse. Survey work has been initiated and according to a recent statement by Hadiza Bala Usman, managing director, NPA, procurement of the dredging works for Calabar has reached “an advanced state”. This can also be seen as part of a wider push on the behalf of NPA to revive the fortunes of Nigeria’s eastern ports overall – Warri, Port Harcourt, Onne and Calabar – with new dredging works also just being announced for Warri.