Workers are seen at an oil well at the Toma South oilfield in Ruweng Administrative Area. August 25, 2018. (Photo: REUTERS).

The Chief of Ruweng Administrative Area says at least ten children have been born with deformities since the beginning of this year, a situation linked to suspected environmental pollution in the oilfields.

Stephano Wieu Malek said the latest case of a child born with birth defects was in August this year, but he could not specify from when the first was recorded.

Malek also said there have been increasing number of still births admitted to local hospitals.

He urges the affected populations in Ruweng to be calm as his government engages with oil companies to address the issue.

“These cases were first presented in the national parliament in 2015, by one of our honorable MP, and as I speak, two cases were of recent, one was in August this year, and the other was around May and taken to Germany for testing,” he said.

“With these kids born with deformities, those whom that we have seen from the hospital and the rest, we are not talking of less than seven to ten children.”

Cases of birth defects have been commonly reported among communities around the oilfield, and the cases have been linked to the impact of oil pollution.

In 2015, a scientific study by a German human rights and relief organization Sign of Hope said the health of more than 180,000 people in the oil-producing areas was at risk due to drinking water contaminated by crude oil.

These figures do not include those who live in remote areas with no hospitals and roads to connect them with state headquarters.

In 2021, a research firm, Nile Initiative for Health and Environment, said it recorded over 218 cases of birth defects over the last three years.

The results were gathered from all the oil fields in Unity, Upper Nile states and Ruweng Administrative Area.

In June this year, the Minister of Environment Josephine Napuon threatened to sue oil companies over the death of a baby who was born with deformities in the Ruweng Administrative Area.