As Congo seeks to expand drilling, some communities worry pollution will worsen
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00:00 There is no debating that Mwanda in Western Congo remains beautiful.
00:06 But the whole area has been polluted by years of drilling.
00:10 Ancestral plots are ruined by oil extracted from the earth.
00:16 Adorik Gaka used to grow all kinds of vegetables right here.
00:22 You'll notice there's water in the soil.
00:26 But that the leaves are yellow as if it's not been raining.
00:29 And this is all a result of pollution.
00:33 Rigs which have pumped oil and gas for years have polluted the ground and water.
00:41 Residents say the company exploiting reserves has long dumped polluted material in the ground.
00:49 In 2018, we noticed a track that came.
00:56 They started digging holes.
00:58 We didn't understand because this is the space where Perenko works.
01:03 Around 2018 and 2019, we noticed within the village that people started complaining about itchy skin.
01:14 And these are things we'd never seen here.
01:17 These flames are not a wildfire, but a torch.
01:22 Gas that is deliberately burnt because it's not profitable to collect and use.
01:28 NGOs say that if drilling expands across DRC,
01:33 villagers should have their say and companies should do their utmost to clean the environment.
01:39 Otherwise, more people would lose their livelihood and their good health.