Fresh Oil Spill Hits Bayelsa Community

Yenagoa — The Kalaba Community in Okordia clan of Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State has been hit by fresh oil spill which reportedly occurred along a pipeline belonging to the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC).

The cause of the spill could not be ascertained but a source said it was noticed on Wednesday by the community folks who were returning from their farms.

It was gathered that the spill had been reported to the company's management for necessary action.

President of Kalaba Community Youth Forum, Samuel Oburo, conducted the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) led by its Bayelsa Co-ordinator, Alagoa Morris, round the spill site.

Morris said: "As you can see, the crude oil is spewing and spreading in the environment.

"It is sad that such should continue to occur in this environment. I don't know the cause of the spill as the JIV process is yet to be initiated to determine cause."

Oburo called on the company to take steps to ensure the integrity of the facility to avoid spills that may be as a result of integrity issues.

Reacting to the latest spill in the state, Morris stressed the need for all stakeholders to have mercy on the environment by maintaining and engaging in environmentally friendly and sustainable standards.

He said ERA/FoEN was initially informed that it was a gas leakage.

"It turned out that it was crude oil spill. As the crude oil bubbles with fury and sound like a boiling pot; gas could be seen too rising to the atmosphere from the spill point.

"The leaves of plants around were oily and some already wilting; indicating that the spill initially sprayed crude oil high into the air.

"Some heap of fresh mud could be seen within the immediate vicinity of the spill point which, could indicate some kind of digging took place there," he explained.

The ERA field co-ordinator called on the company to mobilise to site without delay to stop the spill from spreading further and also take the extra steps to clean up the impacted environment.

He urged Agip to ensure more security presence along the pipeline to take care of the protection of the facility.

He also tasked regulatory agencies including National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Ministry of Environment, to step in to bridge any gap in ensuring the right things were done by Agip.

SOURCE; DAILY INDEPENDENT

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