By Marie-Therese Nanlong

RESIDENTS of Jos, the Plateau State capital, are not new to calamity: from politico-religious crises to bomb attacks and isolated killings, the trend is well known. As the city was grappling with the recent bomb blasts whose survivors are still receiving treatment in the hospital, another tragedy occurred in the early hours of Saturday as a result of gas leakage from the Lamingo Water Treatment Plant which left eight people dead and over 100 others hospitalised.

•Christiana Paul on her sick bed in the hospital

The survivors who suffered from excess chlorine inhalation due to the leaked chlorine cylinder at the Plant are currently receiving treatment at Our Lady of Apostle, OLA Hospital, Evangel Hospital (Jankwano), Plateau State Specialist Hospital and Air Force Hospital, all in Jos.

When Vanguard Features, VF, visited the Casualty Section of the Plateau State Specialist Hospital where most of the survivors are receiving treatment, they (survivors) were either sleeping, lying restlessly or spitting into buckets under the hospital beds.

With difficulty, some of them narrated their ordeal to VF . They called on the relevant authorities to do the needful by evacuating the expired chlorine and other chemicals as well as properly handling the useful ones to avoid a recurrence of the incident.

Survivors recount ordeal

Speaking with VF, a survivor, Christiana Paul, a fifth year Medical Laboratory Science student at the University of Jos, said she was jolted awake at midnight by a foul odour. Christiana who lives behind the Immigration Quarters said: “We woke up from sleep around 12am and discovered the whole environment was polluted by a strong odour in the room. We thought it was  bleach (liquid used in washing white clothes) hence we decided to open the windows.

The odour became more toxic when we opened the windows; we rushed outside to see where it was coming from. But it was worse outside. We couldn’t pinpoint the direction the odour was coming from; so we thought the safest escape route would be the Water Board. But as we were going, we discovered it was more severe, so we turned back and by this time, people were gasping for air,” she said.

Continuing, Christiana narrated how they managed to escape. “Most of our neighbours who were not familiar with the route, forged ahead; unfortunately they never came back alive.” Another survivor, who identified herself as Jacinta Kemwel, said she lost  N11, 000 while trying to escape from the offensive odour.  “I came from Maiduguri on a visit to a family two weeks ago. Few minutes to midnight, we woke from sleep to perceive some foul odour.

We tried to trace where it was coming from but could not do much because the chemical entered our eyes. We were just shedding tears and having difficulty breathing. We became confused and tried to run outside; that’s how I lost the money I have been saving to attend to a need,”she lamented.

Jacinta’s host, Eunice Enoch, a student of Fly High College, Jos with three members of her family , Goodluck, Mary and Magaji Enoch, were also affected. Jacinta was however grateful to God because “none of us died. Eunice complains of chest pain and is waiting for the doctor on duty to examine her”.

Narrating her side of what transpired, Eunice said:  “I was not at home that Saturday night when the thing happened. When I came back, I saw my guest, my mother and two other family members in the hospital. I went home on Sunday to get some things for them. When I got there, I perceived some foul odour and since then, I have been having chest pain. I’m here to see the doctor. Five of us were affected but thank God, none of us died.”

Appeal

Making a passionate appeal for the situation to be addressed, Christiana who has a good knowledge of chemicals and their adverse effects, called for the regulation of temperature at the  water treatment plant. “We are all aware of how toxic chlorine can be when you get in contact with it. It will first block your respiratory system so you can’t breathe and when the body is short on oxygen, you can’t live.

I am appealing to those concerned to find a way of regulating the temperature in that place  because the chemical reacts dangerously to hot weather. I know they may be running away from the financial expenses but it is safer and it will help to avert another calamity,” she said.

Lamentations of the bereaved

“I have been weeping over the loss of lives. Some of my neighbours are gone. I know a student of the Film Institute, another in University of Jos called Ify, we don’t know what they would have become in future, but they are no more. In other places, you don’t just enter a place and get access to certain chemicals, you follow procedures because they know how dangerous such chemicals can be. Why is our own different in this country?” she asked.

Simon Lalong

While these survivors lived to tell their stories, the situation was different for Tobi Adebayo whose family is in deep mourning for their daughter. She was one of the two female students of the National Film Institute who died after inhaling the chlorine gas while asleep.

Mr. Adebayo bemoaned the death of her daughter during a visit to the scene by the State Deputy Governor, Prof. Sonni Tyoden. “My daughter is dead, I saw her corpse this morning (Sunday). Why are we losing our youths, we are tired of losing our youths on the Plateau and in Nigeria,” he cried.

These emotion- laden words drew tears from those who were at the scene. The State Governor, Simon Lalong, the Speaker of the State Assembly, Peter Azi, Chief of Staff, Government House, John Dafa’an, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Water Resources, Hannatu Dantong and the State Commissioner of Police, Nasiru Oki, have all visited the scene and victims.

They described the incident as unfortunate and promised to work together to ensure no such calamity is recorded again. The Acting Chief Medical Director, Plateau Specialists Hospital, Dr. Philemon Golwa who gave an update on the incident, disclosed that “some victims were placed on oxygen and other medications”. “Some have been treated and discharged but others are still on admission but they are responding to treatment. The government has intervened strongly in terms of financial support to the victims. The matter is being investigated to ensure that there is no re -occurrence,” he said.

Meanwhile, the government has assured citizens that the situation is now under control. According to a statement signed by the Director of Press and Public Affairs, Mr. Emmanuel Nanle:  “The contamination has been contained and does not affect the water which has been supplied to public mains; water from the public mains is safe for consumption and is not affected in anyway by the aerial contamination of chlorine from the exploded cylinder.

Government wishes to commiserate with the families of the victims of this industrial hazard and has taken immediate measures to address the issues of expired components of the Treatment Plant and to guard against future re-occurrence of this unfortunate incident.” VF gathered that the leakage emanated from expired and obsolete cylinder components at the treatment plant which leaked poisonous gas to neighboring houses around the Lamingo Water Treatment Plant located along the Dogon Karfe–Abattoir-Old-Bukuru Road.

Acting General Manager, Quality and Assurance of the State Water Board, Stella Bugge gave a hint on what could have caused the leakage.  “The gas cylinder that caused the leakage was an empty one, which we had removed but was not completely empty. However, with time, that could cause the nozzles to rust. We are suspecting that the pressure in the cylinder which was laid horizontally on the floor pushed the nozzle forcing the gas out and wreaking the havoc in the neighbourhood,” she explained.

Buhari orders investigation

Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari has called for full investigation into the cylinder explosion at the Lamingo Plateau Water Board Treatment Plant in Jos. A statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, also commiserated with the families of the victims, the government and people of the state over the incident. President Buhari said an investigation into the incident was necessary to avoid recurrence. “The investigation should unravel the facts as to whether this was just an accident. Whatever is the case, we need to get to the bottom of this unfortunate and tragic incident,” the President said.

He prayed that God should grant the souls of those who died in the explosion peaceful repose and quick recovery to those who were injured in the tragedy. It would be recalled that the immediate past administration of  Governor, Jonah Jang, obtained an N8 billion loan in 2014 to refurbish the plant and replace old pipes. N2.2 billion out of this amount has reportedly been spent on water projects and rehabilitation of the three water treatment plants within the city.