By Samwar S. Fallah

Residents of about six towns few miles from Harbel, the headquarters of the largest rubber plantations company in Africa, Firestone are struggling with the situation of water pollution as the company discharges the huge wastes produced from the processing of raw rubber for export into nearby creeks used by local residents for drinking.

Firestone has been associated with pollution for decades with human rights organizations and environmental groupings standing firm against the company to properly dispose of chemicals used in the processing of its rubber.

Few years ago it was the large body of water that occupies majority of Margibi County that was the center of argument when Firestone disposed of wastes in the Farmington River affecting large number of people who relied on the river for fresh food such as fish and other edible foods, including water for drinking and other uses.

The Farmington pollution incident resulted to several lawsuits against Firestone mainly in the United States of America where the main headquarters of the company is located by human rights groups and environmental organizations pressuring the company to find a suitable means of disposing the wastes from the laboratories and local factories at the Plantation.

Owensgrove was the main point of concentration as residents in this vicinity were suffering the aftermath of the pollution caused by the dumping of chemicals in nearby creeks and streams.

With the huge public outcries against the pollution, residents of Owensgrove are now breathing fresh air and free from the pollution but it is now the of residents of Kparn Yah Town and surrounding villages who are now struggling to cope with the dumping of chemicals through about 12 large size pumps into a mini flowing water which later meanders into other bodies of waters within the neighborhoods of the six towns.

During a tour of the affected villages at the weekend along with a team from the Green Advocate, a team of Environmental Lawyers that have been pursuing lawsuits against Firestone in the past, the residents explained how the situation is hampering their livelihood.

Don Jar, an elderly woman in an angry tone remarked: “Firestone want for us to die so they finished putting all the bad bad things in our water. So we just suppose to die now because nothing we can do, our basket can catch fish again”.

Wilfred Davis, explaining the pollution said about two years ago, they noticed that Firestone was dumping wastes from the clinics and into a valley near the towns which he said was causing serious pollution problem for them.

“Since Firestone came here in 1922, this Kparnyah town community been here, but since they started operation, we cannot benefit anything from them only for us to see in 2002, they started dumping wastes from their hospitals and bungalows into a valley where most of the creeks here come from and enter all the water. All the places you see here are flooded area and when it rain, the water will carry all the toxic wastes making people sick”

He said after Firestone was pushed from Owensgrove where they were initially dumping their wastes, they moved into the Kparnyah Town Community and directed the pipes into the location of their community.

The Kparnyah citizens’ representative said the residents have complained to local county officials including the superintendent, lawmakers and others to help prevail on Firestone to stop disposing of chemicals in their water.

“After complaining plenty time, Firestone asked us what you want for us to do for you and we told them look, we want clinic, six hand pumps to give us drinking water but they put all that things one side and brought this one hand pump which is smelling with rubber, we cannot even drink from it and we can go way to Harbel to get drinking water”, Davis narrated.

Davis revealed that about three persons have now died from drinking the water and several others are sick from coming in contact with the water.

“We are worrying now, because when the rain season comes, the water will flow all over here and everybody will touch the chemicals in the water, plenty people will get sick and people will die”, Davis observed.

Tene Kuton, another, middle age woman described the Firestone Pollution as simply attempting to kill the entire 35,000 residents of the Kparnyah town area.

Ms. Kuton holding a three year old daughter said the little girl was thirsty about two days ago had to drink some of the water because there was no drinking water available.

“You see my daughter, when I went to Harbel for drinking water; she could not wait for me because she was thirsty and took some water to drink. You can see her, her stomach has been running for two days now. She is very sick, let Firestone come and just kill us”, Ms. Kuton cried out.

She explained that walking up to an hour to get water from Harbel for drinking is causing hardship for her, stating that their drinking is now restricted in order to manage the drinking water.

Ms. Kuton says “We have to give the children the water to drink and sometimes when they come for drinking water, we say no you cannot drink now until food is ready just to safe the small water for us to not walk long distance again”.

We Will listen to You and Build A case

Attorney Alfred Brownell of Green Advocate, an association of environmental lawyer working to protect the environment told the resident of Kparnyah Town and surrounding villages that his organization will listen to the concerns expressed people affected and build a case against Firestone.

“We already sued Firestone in the United States and that case is on, so we are here to see what is really happening, listen to you and build a case against Firestone and some of what we have seen will serve as evidence in court”, Attorney Brownell stated.

The Green Advocate lawyer noted that his organization has been on the back of Firestone on the issue of wastes disposal for many years and is surprise that the company is yet to manage wastes well.

“When we saw what was happening in Owensgrove, we took issue with Firestone and forced her to stop polluting that area. They told us that they were going to build a processing plant to process the wastes and ensure that it does not enter the creeks around here but they have failed to do so, only to divert the pipes from Oensgrove to another location but we will pursue this and make sure they stop harming people around here”, Attorney Brownell expressed.

He observed that Firestone is looking at the cost of building a processing plant for the wastes and is deposing of them in the environment, caring less about the impact on lives.

“All we want is to have the facts that in deed people are suffering because of pollution so we do not want to you lie, say the truth because when you lie to us, we will not have anything to prove against Firestone, just explain what this pollution is causing for you and we will deal with it to protect you and the environment”, Attorney Brownell vowed.

He said besides polluting the water, the chemicals might have effect on the vegetation around the affected areas, noting that Firestone did not conduct environmental assessment before deposing of the harmful chemical in the places inhabited by humans.

The Kparnyah Town residents explained that due to the pollution, they are now afraid to drink water from the only hand pump constructed by firestone and are now walking to Harbel to get drinking water.

“We have advised our people to stop drinking from that well, look when I go there now and bring you water from there, you will smell the rubber and the stinking odor from the chemicals, so that pump is not useful to us”, Daniel Sumo, a representative of the youths of Kparnyah Town told journalists.

Sumo said they are concerned about the future when the pollution persists in the area for more than two to three years, noting that even plants might start to die due to the polluted water.

“We don’t want money from Firestone, we are talking about life what happens after two to three years, no trees will grow here, how our people will make farm to survive”, the Kaprnyah Town youth lamented.

The Firestone Plantation company could not be reached for comment as its Public Relations Officer; Rufus Karmoh said he was not at the plantations but in Monrovia attending to some business.

More details on the Firestone Pollution in subsequent postings.