By Yien Gattour Meat
Panic and worries spark up in an oil-producing, Ruweng Administrative Area of South Sudan, following an abnormal birth of a baby with exposed internal parts.
Born to a 29-year-old mother, the birth of the baby has raised concerns among residents over the safety and well-being of the inhabitants, who revealed that the incidents had become common in the area.
The baby was born on Sunday last week, May 28th, 2023, at Panrieng Hospital.
Although Parents of the deformed baby, who alleged to have witnessed a number of cases of abnormal births in the area and attributed the occurrences to oil pollution, only experts could justify such claims.
Mr. Bol Dau, an uncle to the deformed baby also confirmed that the incident happened on Sunday night, adding that it was second delivery of the 29-year-old mother.
He called for an in-depth investigation of the incident and assessment conducted in the region.
“We need committee of medical doctors to be informed to come and make assessment in Ruweng Administrative, Unity State and Upper Nile State,” he requested.
However, it remains at large, whether samples will be collected from Ruweng, for tests to ascertain the actual cause of the abnormal births in the region.
Meanwhile, Ruweng Administrative Area Hospital director, Benjamin Monybany, told No.1 Citizen Daily Newspaper, on Wednesday that the baby was born with exposed intestines and deformed legs.
“This is not the first instance of such deformities occur in the area,” Monybany said but he couldn’t easily offer to give out statistics on other incidences registered.
Ruweng Chief Administrator, Stefano Wieu who witnessed the distressing incident on visiting the affected family at the hospital on Monday, has initiated a process of transferring the baby to Juba.
“The baby requires specialized medical attention and management. This can only be in Juba” the chief administrator observed.
Last year, the Ministry of Petroleum launched an environmental audit to evaluate the impact of oil production in the oil-producing regions and formulate appropriate mitigation measures.
It is recommended that the audit process encompass all oil-producing areas to comprehensively address concerns related to environmental pollution.
Ruweng, known for its oil production, has witnessed several cases of babies being born with deformities in the past.
The increasing occurrences raise questions about the potential connection between oil pollution and the unfortunate health issues affecting newborns in the area.