Lessons from Hinkley, California and Lake Erie Episodes
Weliweriya Water Pollution:
August 8, 2013, 12:00 pm
The well water pollution and the associated protest of the affected people in the village culminated in the police and the army acting highhandedly and ferociously, killing several and injuring many. An innocent bystander schoolboy was among the dead. Whereas the pollution problem is real and the people are desperate for potable water, the cause for acidification (pollution) of the water is not yet known. We hope it won’t be a matter like the milk powder contamination, and contradictory analytical reports! Oiling palms is commonplace these days, the officials taking the hint from the politicians. Minister Maithripala Sirisena should be congratulated on his firm stand on the milk powder matter.
There is good reason to suspect that effluent released from the rubber products factory in the village may be the cause though it says it has an effluent treatment plant. On the other hand, it has also been said that the factory has expanded since its establishment and whether all effluent is being safely disposed is questioned. What is worrying is why the institutions responsible for monitoring pollution had been ‘sleeping’ until it happened. Precautionary monitoring could have detected the problem before it reached this calamitous state, and perhaps, ‘nipped it in the bud’.
There have been numerous reported instances of pollution of drinking water the world over and the awful consequences. Hinkley is a small village in California. The Pacific Gas and Electric Company operated a compressor station in the town that used large cooling towers which contained chromium, a carcinogenic heavy metal. The chromium contaminated water was stored in unlined ponds for re-use resulting in percolation into the ground water, polluting the wells from which people drank water. It was reported in 1996 that 654 people in the village got cancer as a result of drinking chromium contaminated water out of which 30 died of the disease. In a similar oft-quoted example of potable water pollution, over 400 children died of lead poisoning in the Zamfera State, North Nigeria in 2010, the lead from a gold mine contaminating the water. Fortunately, hitherto, there are no reported cases of illnesses from drinking polluted water from Weliweriya.
It is to be noted that the Hinkley people went into litigation against the Company, claiming $ 400 million and the case was finally settled in 1996 with a compensation payment of $333 million for the affected and the families of the dead. The affected Weliweriya people have a right to follow suit, and consider seeking redress through litigation.
It is natural that people in desperation react against the government when their woes are not heeded. For example, Lake Erie, one of the five great lakes in North America, considered by the American natives long ago to have the sweetest water, was heavily polluted by phosphate resulting in algal blooms in the 1960s. The sources of the phosphate were found to be fertilizer and detergents. The Lake water became unusable. Recreational facilities and navigation came to a halt, fish died in large numbers emanating an unbearable smell. Naturally the people reacted with protests. Many action groups were formed among which "The Student Council on Pollution and Environment" and the "Housewives to End Pollution" played lead roles. The Canadian government did not turn its guns on the protestors, but was quick to enact legislation to mitigate the problem. Phosphate use in detergents and as fertilizer was regulated, and over a period the Lake water became reusable.
What is vital is for the government is to ensure non-recurrence of such episodes as the Weliweriya incident. There are now numerous multinational companies seeking investments, not for the love of our people but essentially for cheap labour and pollutant-dumping convenience! The government should be mindful of this and take far more precautions than it does now, and not just be duped that foreign investments is the cure for all our economic ails. Thorough appraisal of the environmental impacts of all ventures is critical. Is it happening? Then our relevant institutions for pollution and environment management should be greatly strengthened for analytical capabilities and better services. Pollution control is as fundamental as food security for our sustenance and the government should train its guns on the polluters and not the desperate victims!
Dr. Parakrama Waidyanatha
