Juba Ice Factory Denies Pollution, as Residents Decry Environmental Damage

Juba Ice Factory Denies Pollution, as Residents Decry Environmental Damage

By Charles Wote

Residents of Juba Na Bari have linked mysterious environmental damage manifested in withered trees and cracked walls to a nearby ice factory, in a longstanding saga that prompted intermittent closure and reopening of the factory, which has categorically denied being responsible for the environmental pollution.

The outcry of the residents prompted Juba City’s former Mayor’s intervention leading to the shutdown of the company identified as AK Factory, on June 21, 2024.

In and behind the walls of her semi-concrete home, Lorna, a mother of two, feels the glaring impact of the environmental damage speculatively connected to the company.

Not long ago, her backyard flourished with sugar cane and guava trees, their fruits a vital food source and income for her family.

Those once-thriving trees are now devoid of leaves and show no sign of life—glaring evidence of a changing landscape as their withered branches cast shadows against the sky.

“When the leaves began to dry during the rainy season, I hoped it was temporary,” Lorna reflects with a sigh. “But as the months passed, even the hardy guava wood turned brittle, unable to bear fruit. These trees sustained us, but now they are gone.”

A withered guava tree
A withered guava tree behind the premises of AK factory in Juba Na Bari, June 6th, 2024. (Photo Credit: Eye Radio).

Like Lorna, many residents of Juba Na Bari are battling the impact of solid waste from the ice factory.

Although two assessments were conducted by the City Council and local authorities, there was no conclusive scientific research that could link the facility to the drying up of fruit trees and cracked walls in about 30 households.

Residents reported that most of the fruit trees, such as mangoes and guavas, had dried up, and vegetables grown around their homes failed to thrive.

The recurrent outcries from the community prompted the former Mayor of Juba City Council, Flora Gabriel Modi, to shut down the company through an order issued on June 21, 2024.

“I direct you to effect the closure of AK Factory in Juba Na Bari with immediate effect,” she stated in an order directed to the Director of Juba Block and the Director of Public Order, Juba City Council.

“This comes following complaints and current outrage from residents as a result of the company’s operation,” she noted.

The majority of the estimated 690,918 residents of Juba rely on ice to chill drinking water as temperatures consistently soar between 30°C and 36°C during the day and 20°C to 25°C at night.

The AK Factory was established in 2015 in the Northern Zone of Juba Na Bari to produce and sell ice to city residents.

Despite its initial purpose, the factory’s presence in Juba Na Bari’s Northern Zone is suspected to have led to significant environmental and structural issues for residents.

A cracked wall
A cracked wall is presumed to have been caused by AK Factory chemicals in the Juba Na Bari residential area. (Photo Credit: Eye Radio).

Lowani Lodu, another Juba Na Bari resident, said the majority of the fruit trees he had in his compound have withered under unclear circumstances.

“At my house, I had six mango trees, all have dried off, I had lemon, and guava all these have dried up and there are some you cannot count their numbers but most have dried up,” Lowani said.

“At first when it started drying up, we did not know the cause we thought the place we used for planting was not good but we came to realise that the company is the reason.” He added.

The father of four said he wants the ice factory to be relocated away from the residential areas to prevent further environmental pollution.

“We came to know it from some people who have experience in the ice factory that it is not supposed to be placed amid the residential area so what we want is to let this ice factory be relocated away from this place and if the owner wants to do something different apart from ice factory, we don’t have any problem.”

The AK Factory has dismissed allegations that it is behind the environmental contamination in the north of Juba Na Bari residential area.

Hanad Rashid, a shareholder of the AK factory, said the company is following all the environmental regulations and standards required by the government of South Sudan.

She added that the company has a certificate from the Bureau of Standards and the Department of Metrology to produce ice in Juba.

“Our construction is based on standards, and we were given a building permit, we are not harming anybody, and if you want to prove, the Bureau of Standard and Metrology knows that very well, you can go to them,” Hanad Rashid told Eye Radio during an interview on Wednesday, 24th July 2024.

“They are the institutions that give us the certificates, to confirm whether we are meeting the quality and standards or not.” She stressed.

Producing ice for chilling water involves freezing purified water in specialized machines that consist of a refrigeration unit that cools the water to its freezing point.

The purified water is poured into trays within the machine, where it is gradually cooled by the refrigeration system until it solidifies into ice.

The formed ice cubes are then harvested and stored in a bin, ready for use.

However, Hanad said the AK factory only relies on freezing purified water, free from contaminants and additives, to ensure the ice is safe for consumption.

“We don’t use chemicals at all, in addition, our company is located near a swamp, so if you go there now you will find water in the swamp, and that has an effect on the soil, and we are not the reason for that.”

ice
Pond of stagnant rainwater near AK Factory which the company believes is contaminating the neighbourhood. (Photo Credit: Eye Radio).

“For the trees dying, it is known to everyone that when there is stagnant water, the trees will not grow. People who are complaining are four to five streets from the company,” she stated.

“As for the salt they are talking about, it is well known to everyone, all houses in Juba here moisture has its factors, there is nothing called salt, which salt are they talking about.”

When contacted by Eye Radio, the acting Director General of Technical Operation, South Sudan Bureau of Standards said it is studying the complaint and will respond accordingly.

AK Factory is a registered joint venture company between Osman Abdel Khalid, a Lebanese national with 69% shares, and Hanad Rashid, a South Sudanese national with 31% shares.

The factory is registered by the government of South Sudan under the name Abdel Khaled for General Trading Company Limited, with two foreign workers and 332 South Sudanese employees.

It has a building permit, change of purpose certificate, and building plan approval.

Situated mere meters from residential areas, the factory’s operations have reshaped the ecosystem. Poor waste management has contaminated the soil, destroying the environment.

The factory was first closed on April 22, 2024, by the Director of the Juba Block Council for polluting the environment and damaging the ecosystem in the area.

Michael Francis Khamis, the Block’s Director in an order addressed to the Managing Director of the company, said he shut down the AK factory to secure the environment for future generations based on the recommendation of the committee he formed to assess the level of pollution in the area.

The ten-member committee Michael formed comprised an engineer, a public health director, a director of forestry, and officers from the police and criminal investigation department.

The committee which based their findings on observation reported that the location of the AK factory deep in the residential area had caused huge damage to the environment.

The forestry department reported that trees were withering due to salt and chemicals on the ground, which had affected the southern and northern parts of the areas around the factory.

white substance in AK factory hood
A white substance believed to be salt in the neighbourhood of AK Factory before the closure of the company. (Photo credit Eye Radio)

The committee also recommended that the AK factory stop dumping waste on the open ground to reduce environmental pollution.

Jefferino Ladu, the public and environment officer, cites in the report, “The location of AK factory in the residential area is one of the reasons affecting the residents, trees, walls, and the ground contamination by the factory’s chemicals.”

Meanwhile, the police and criminal investigation department officers recommended that the authorities relocate the company from Juba Na Bari to prevent future conflict between the residents and the company.

“When I closed it [AK factory] according to these recommendations, I gave them [AK factory] one month to remove their equipment and move to another place.” Michael Francis Khamis, the Juba Block’s Director said.

“A lawyer from the company verbally petitioned the CEO [Chief Executive officer of Juba City Council] who formed a committee but that committee to me is extra biased.”

“I am the director of the Payam they should not dispute my decision because I am directly answerable to the people and it is provided within Juba City Council legislative rules and regulations, it said Juba City Council blocks is a community government.” He told Eye Radio during the interview.

The South Sudan Companies Act 2012 obligates registered companies to set risk management policies and ensure those policies are communicated to and implemented by all employees.

It mandates the board of each registered company to regularly receive reports on risk management in physical and operational areas, human resources, technology, and compliance, and to set disaster recovery plans, which often involve insurance and risk funding planning.

Barely a month after the first attempt to close the AK factory by the Director of Juba Block Council on April 22, 2024, the former Mayor of Juba City Council Flora Gabriel Modi ordered the reopening of the company.

“The management of the company petitioned this office against the decision taken for the closure of the company.” Benneth Alex Mathi, Chief Executive Officer, Juba City Council said in a letter addressed to Juba block’s director on May 20th, 2024.

“The counter committee was formed to ascertain the points raised by the management of the company over the closure of the facility by the administration of Juba block.”

“Based on the committee findings and recommendations, H W the [former] Mayor of Juba City Council directed the reopening of the facility,” Benneth noted.

The report from the counter committee formed by the Juba City Council indicates that the AK factory was closed by the Director of Juba Block, Michael Francis Khamis, without due procedure, and that he formed the committee after the closure of the company.

It added that the company provides electricity to nearby residents as part of its corporate social responsibility.

According to the report, the Juba Block director was supposed to notify the ice factory with a warning letter in case of negligence from the company’s management.

The committee also recommended the deployment of teams to the area by the Ministry of Mining to scientifically test the soil to determine the extent of environmental damage caused.

On his part, Michael Francis Khamis insisted he acted within the law, adding that his directive for the closure of the AK factory was final for addressing the complaints of the community.

“Even if there is huge interference, I am mandated by the law, by the local government act that, that company I have closed it whoever has the opinion to open it, he or she has the power to open it, the community will directly deal with them how it is opened or how it is going to be closed.” He told Eye Radio.

On July 11, 2024, the Chief Executive Director of Juba City Council, Benneth Alex Mathi, requested the South Sudan Bureau of Standards to send a specialist to join the city council’s committee formed to conduct a fact-finding on the factory’s operation.

The committee, headed by Emmanuel Swaka, became the third fact-finding committee to inspect the operation of the AK factory.

On 7th June 2024, the former Mayor of Juba City Council and other government officials paid an inspection visit to Juba Na Bari’s Northern Zone to assess the effect of the lack of drainage, which caused flooding whenever it rains in the area.

During the visit, former Mayor Flora urged the residents to have a united voice so their issues could be addressed.

“A complaint came to us and we closed the company but there are some people here who said they want the company to continue operating and the decision to close the company was wrong so they opened the company,” she told the residents during the visit.

“Some of you said no, the company is affecting the area and the other people are wrong,” she added.

Former Mayor Flora then acknowledged the division in community interests saying she is working on the broader impacts over individual interests.

She urged the residents to unite and express their concerns collectively and constructively to resolve the issue effectively.

“Your interests have been divided, some of you say 'Yes' others say 'No', we are going to look at the general effects, not the interests because there are people residing next to the company and they were given power or maybe money, we do not know.”

“When it came to me, it came as a complaint that people in the area said they want to close the company because the Director of Juba wants the company to move to his place that is why we reopened the company.”

“I want the residents of the area to come in the right way and with one voice so that this problem can be addressed.”

But 27-year-old Nyarsuk Patrick, a resident of the area said AK Factory is causing both noise and environmental pollution.

“This ice factory is causing so much noise pollution in the area where at night, you cannot sleep. The company operates 24 hours and the generator is very loud.” He said.

“Our people used to cultivate their small crops around the area but since this factory was opened here, no one can cultivate because the soil has been affected.”

For his part, the Chairperson of the Civil Society Coalition on Natural Resources urged the City Council to conduct a transparent assessment of the extent of the environmental damage the company might have caused.

Charles Judo said, “I think after closing down of the company, there should be an assessment within the area to assess the extent of the damage and also come up with the proposal on how to clean the area within because I am sure there might be some degradation in terms of pollution so there is need for an assessment of the area and come up with recommendations that can be implemented.”

The national capital Juba, which lies, to a greater extent, on the western bank of the White Nile, still struggles with inadequate waste collection services, leading to accumulated garbage piling up in public spaces and the streets.

Although efforts to improve waste management are ongoing, the city council's efforts are hampered by a lack of resources, adequate public awareness, sustainable practices and logistics.

In October 2017, the Center for Environmental Science at Addis Ababa University assessed municipal solid waste management practices in Juba City, including challenges and practical considerations.

The report suggested that years of civil war have left basic sanitation infrastructure for solid waste management under-prioritized, resulting in Juba City lacking facilities to manage solid waste.

It added that the lack of garbage collection services left many Juba residents using roadsides, open spaces, football fields, riverbanks, drainage channels, and even graveyards as dumping sites.

Some waste is burned in residential areas, and on the streets, leading to air pollution and potential health hazards.

The report recommends the need for the adaptation of Integrated Solid Waste Management approaches in Juba. And the approach that strives to strike a balance between the Solid Waste Management dimensions of environmental effectiveness, social acceptability, and economic affordability.

Similar research was also conducted by the Department of Environmental Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, China in November 2020.

The 15-page report focused on the situation of solid waste management in East African countries and the proposal for sustainable management targeting major cities such as Nairobi, Dar el Salaam, Kampala, and Kigali.

This story was produced in collaboration with InfoNile.

Like this article?

Share on Facebook
Share on Twitter
Share on Linkedin
Share on Pinterest
Share on Telegram
Share on WhatsApp

Leave a comment

Related Posts