100 villagers contact skin diseases from using the water in Moulvibazar
At least 100 people of three villages in Madhabpur union under Kamalganj upazila of Moulvibazar have contracted skin diseases from using the water of a hilly stream allegedly poisoned by the waste of a gas well that Chevron is drilling in the area.
The villagers of Bhashnigaon, Vabdarigaon, and Tilagaon alleged the stream, locally known as Jibdori Chhara, was poisoned by the waste dumped into it by the US oil company at Nurjahan and Fulbari tea gardens near Lawachhara reserve forest, where it was drilling the well.
They also reported the death of a calf after drinking the water of the stream that runs through the villages.
Ilias Husain Enam, Mohammad Salam Miah, Cherag Miah, Kuhinoor Akhtar, Taleb Miah, and Azirun Begum of Bhasanigaon village alleged that Chevron had been dumping waste of the drilling site into the Jibdori Chhara for the past two weeks.
The locals also said the waste was so poisonous that fish, frogs, and other aquatic animals in the stream had either died or were near to death.
They said they had informed the situation in vain to the Chevron authorities.
Mohammad Motaher Ali, a member of Madhabpur Union Parishad, also blamed Chevron for polluting the hilly stream, the lone source of the villagers’ washing and cooking water, and thus spreading the skin disease among them.
He said the villagers would stage a human chain against the pollution on Monday.
Ahmed Siraj, a social worker of the locality, said it seemed Chevron had no concern for keeping the local environment pollution-free.
Chevron external affairs manager Obaidullah-Al-Ejaz, however, denied the allegation.
The upazila health officer, Gauro Moni Sinha, said usually industrial wastes caused such skin infections.
Kamalganj upazila nirbahi officer Prakash Kanti Chowdhury told New Age on Friday that he had also been informed of the water poisoning by the locals a few days ago.
He said he would visit the spot soon and take action in this regard.
-With New Age input
