As DR Congo Seeks to Expand Drilling, Some Worry Pollution Will Worsen

Annie Kopacitino holds her daughter, who she says has been affected by the pollution caused by oil drilling, in her village of Tshiende, Moanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dec. 23, 2023. FILE - A family bakes bread in their village of Kinkazi, which has been impacted by oil drilling, outside Moanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dec. 24, 2023. FILE - A burning flare is visible at an oil extraction area located in Moanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dec. 23, 2023. FILE - People collect water from a community pump in their village of Tshiende, which is affected by oil drilling, in Moanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dec. 23, 2023.

The oil drills that loom down the road from Adore Ngaka's home remind him daily of everything he's lost. The extraction in his village in western Congo has polluted the soil, withered his crops and forced the family to burn through savings to survive, he said.