D Harps Integrated Services has denied any involvement in the reported pollution of Nvuna River.
Penultimate week, the people of Nomeh community in Nkanu East local government area of Enugu State stormed the company to protest the pollution of what they described as the only source of water in their community.
However, conducting newsmen round the facility, the production manager of the company, Okeke Abel, said the claim by the community is strange to them.
He maintained that since 2021 when the complaint of pollution came from both the host community and others, they took full responsibility and placed measures on ground to stop further occurrence.
“I can boldy say that we’re not responsible for the contamination because we don’t discharge anything into the river. It’s baffling that such an allegation is coming from the community.
“Nomeh community is more than 10 kilometers from this factory and there are other communities in between and the same Nvuna River passes through them and they haven’t come to complain about any pollution unlike what we had in 2021. The river supplies the host community; Ituku, after which you get Ozalla, Agbogwugwu before you get to Nomeh
“The complain is a surprise to us. When we had a similar complaint in 2021 from all the four communities that the river crisscrossed, every measure was taken to curtail any form of pollution in the future.
“After the incident, we started using our own trucks to evacuate any form of effluent that’s generated here to an Enugu State designated point of discharge and we’ve our documents to show about these payments.
“We’ve taken all necessary steps to ensure that nothing is discharged into the environment, except clean water.
“Initially, we were using black oil for our burners but we’re now using gas which has no environmental pollution of any form and there are other bond walls we have used to collect any form of waste in case there’s accidental discharge.
Mr. Okeke further stated that “when this happened in 2021, as part of our corporate social responsibility, we provided portable water to this community.
“Also, the sample from the said contaminated river has been tested and the result came out satisfactorily.
Similarly, Mr. Anozie Daniel, the environmental consultant to D Harps Integrated Services, stressed that what’s happening now can’t be related to what the situation in 2021.
In 2021, all the communities along the line complained but in 2023, only one village that’s far away from our factory is complaining and this is why we’re skeptical
Corroborating the stories from company, Igwe Cletus Iloabuchi and Igwe Silas Okafor, the traditional rulers of various villages in Ituku- the host community of D Harps Integrated Services, said they haven’t witnessed any pollution in their water (same Nvunah river) unlike what happened in 2021.
The traditional rulers wondered why Nomeh which is very far from the factory will be accusing the company of being responsible for what happened to their river when the same water which serves their community isn’t polluted.
“We’re surprised that Nomeh, that’s miles away will be complaining that the company in our community is responsible for the contamination of their water.
“This same Nvunah River is the only single source of water we have in Ituku. Various villages such as Ofuiyi, UmuOyibo, Umunevo nta, Umu Owo, Ama Okoro, and many other villages make use of this river. Non of them have complained.
Igwe Iloabuchi frowned at the protest by indigenes of Nomeh in his community when his colleague (the traditional ruler of Nomeh) never deemed it necessary to reach out to him before his people came to protest in my vicinity.
D Harps Integrated Services is into the production of edible ethanol.
