Warri South West local Government Area of Delta State have raised the alarm over the health challenges facing them following the PPMC/NNPC Escravos to Warri trunk line crude oil spillage in their communities.
One of the residents told journalists on Saturday that they are now having respiratory disorder following the failure of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation to curtail the spill which occurred since August 17, 2016.
Yabrade Moses, who spoke in a telephone conversation, said: “Our people are now having problem breathing because of the severity of the spill.”
According to Moses, a new spill occurred on Friday from the same point because of failure by officials of the Petroleum Products Marketing Company, a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, to heed to advice to stop the pumping of crude from the burst line until the leakage point is identified.
The communities in a statement issued on Saturday, signed by Moses and Edward Odu on behalf of the people, accused the NNPC of insensitivity to the plight of the residents who currently face health challenges as result of the negligence.
They said that NNPC was toying with the lives of the people of the communities whose only source of livelihood had been polluted.
The affected communities are Ikpokpo, Tebujor, Okpeleama, Meke-Ama, Opuedebubor, Atanba, Oporoza federated communities, Oto-Gbene, Okerenkoko-Gbene, Opuede, Opuede-Zion and Gama-Zion, all communities of Gbaramatu Kingdom, Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State.
In a letter addressed to the Group Managing Director of the NNPC, they said a joint investigation visit to the area on September 26 was inconclusive as the officials couldn’t established the point of spill.
According to them: “PPMC/NNPC together with NOSDRA and community representatives went for the joint investigation visit on Monday, the 26th of September, 2016 but the JIV was inconclusive as the team could not visit most of the communities affected and could not identify the point of rupture.
“The spillers, PPMC/NNPC promised to carry out a follow up JIV and also take steps to ameliorate the suffering of the people.
“The communities on that occasion expressed their apprehension that they may suffer again if crude is pumped through the line and agreed with PPMC officials that crude oil should not be pumped through the line again until the ruptured point is identified and repaired.
“However, the fears of the community people came to reality again in the early hours of Friday, the 30th of September, 2016 as crude oil was discovered to be gushing out from the ruptured trunkline when NNPC pumped crude oil through the trunk line from the morning of Thursday, the 29th of September, 2016 to Friday, 30th of September, 2016.
“At the time of issuing this press statement, there is massive spillage of crude oil which is already flowing around all the communities including up to Oporoza federated communities, Gama-Zion community and into the Escravos River.
“This is the third time this spillage of crude oil into the affected communities is happening anytime crude oil is pumped through the trunk line.
“We once again call on NNPC/PPMC to take far reaching steps to identify ruptured point, stop further spillage and damage to the communities and properties and also provide relief materials to cushion effect of the spillage on our people.
“Our people are dying of hunger arising from the complete despoliation of their environment.
“NNPC/PPMC should stop to pump crude oil through the line until the ruptured point is repaired.
“The Nigerian government should come to the rescue of the communities and protect our right to life and clean environment.”
Credit: today.ng