Health officials in South Sudan’s Ruweng State are appealing to the national government and oil companies operating in the state to build specialized health centers for citizens affected by the effects of oil production in the state.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Monday, the state health minister Simon Chol Malith said citizens living near the oil production wells in the state suffer from health problems stemming from the environmental effects of oil production.
"Many citizens, mostly children in the state, suffer from diseases and do not have good health services because there are no health centers in the state," he said.
Other health problems reported in the state include premature births, miscarriages, and skin allergies.
Chol said the lack of clean drinking water is the main challenge as water sources have been contaminated.
“Most of the state's health problems in the oil wells are the result of lack of clean drinking water. Most of the local populations are using the wells, and the water is mixed with the waste oil produced by the water runoff during the rains,” he added.
In January, South Sudan started pumping an additional 15,000 barrels per day of crude oil from its Unity oilfields, including oil wells in Ruweng State.