Members of Ikarama community in Yenagoa Local Government Area of
Bayelsa have decried the pollution of Oya Lake by the oil drilling operations
of Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC).
They
accused SPDC of carrying out improper clean-up of the lake that was polluted by
an oil spill which occurred from the company’s Ikarama-Rumuekpe pipeline.
Ayibatari
Francis, who spoke on behalf of the community, told News Agency of Nigeria
(NAN) in Yenagoa on Tuesday that the crude oil which leaked into the lake had
adversely affected aquatic life in the lake.
He
called on the oil firm to urgently initiate the cleanup the lake, adding that
it was the only source of drinking water for the residents and their means of
livelihood, as they were mostly fishermen.
“This
is a lake where we fish; we also drink water from the lake and use the water to
cook our food.
“Also,
members of community, who have farms that are adjacent to the lake, solely
relied on water from the lake for their domestic use, prior to its pollution.
“However,
after the lake’s pollution, occasioned by an oil spill from Shell’s facility;
people can no longer drink water from the lake or fish there.
“There
are serious safety concerns about the condition of the water in the lake and
the entire environment of the lake itself.
“That
is why we want Shell to return to this site to remove the stains from the water
of the lake, while treating the soil and the lake to make them free from pollutants
that are traceable to crude oil.
“This
is necessary to enable us to resume fishing in the lake and eat the fishes
without any fear of health implications,” Francis said.
Pastor
FearGod Kologa, another resident in the area, said that they learnt that Shell
did not carry out proper remediation of the polluted lake due to some seismic
activities near the lake late last year.
He
said that SPDC officials and officials of National Oil Spill Detection and
Response Agency (NOSDRA), who visited Oya Lake in March, also confirmed the
huge presence of oil slick on its surface.
“They
witnessed the situation at the lake but Oya Lake is still seriously polluted;
we expect Shell to come and do the proper remediation so that we can go back
our lake,’’ Kologa said.
However,
Precious Okolobo, the Media Relations Manager of SPDC, said that the oil firm
carried out a cleanup of Oya Lake between July and October 2013 when the oil
spill occurred.
Okolobo,
nonetheless, conceded that the oil firm recently noticed traces of oil in the
area. He
said that SPDC and NOSDRA officials had recently inspected the site, while a
report on their findings was expected to come out soon.
“A
crude oil spill occurred on the 14” Okordia-Rumuekpe trunk line at Ikarama on
Dec. 7, 2008, which a joint investigation team, on Jan. 15 and Jan. 16, 2009,
attributed to an act of sabotage.
“The
spill, which impacted both SPDC Joint Venture’s Right of Way and nearby third-party
areas, was cleaned up and certified by regulators on May 31, 2010.
“However,
following complaints that the adjacent Oya Lake was also impacted, SPDC
conducted another assessment on Feb. 27, 2013, with the participation of
members of the host community and representatives of an NGO, Shareholders
Alliance for Corporate Accountability (SACA).
“SPDC
was not able to trace the source of the latest spill at Oya Lake but commenced
a clean-up all the same on July 31, 2013, with the regulators visiting the site
for close-out on Oct. 9, 2013.
“Besides,
officials of NOSDRA have recently inspected the site and they are expected to
come out with a report on their findings anytime soon,” Okolobo said in an
e-mail response to NAN inquiry.
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