Samuel Oyadongha
24 March 2009
Yenagoa — The Anglo-Dutch oil giant, Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) says work on clean up of the oil spill at Ikarama in the old Yenagoa local government of Bayelsa State is in progress
Vanguard gathered that between June and December 2008, the community experienced five oil spills with the last said to have occurred on December 7,2008 along the Ughelli/Rumuekpe trunk link.
The spill, according to the affected community, flowed freely into the nearby Obroun Lake and spread to the Oya Lake and environs, destroying aquatic lives and means of livelihood of the families that owned the lakes.
A native of the community who simply gave his name as Luke, noted with sadness that just as they were grappling with the despoliation inflicted on their immediate environment what they saw was an uncontrollable fire on March 1, 2009 destroying everything on its path.
Members of the community have blamed the incessant spill on negligence on the part of the oil giant, an act the latter attributed to sabotage by some unknown persons.
The company said a joint investigation visit to the spill site was undertaken on November 12, 2008 where the cause of spill was attributed to hacksaw cut on the pipe by unknown persons.
But SPDC spokesman, Mr. Precious Okolobo in an online statement in Yenagoa said though the clean up of the impacted area was in progress he however dismissed the claim being bandied in some quarters that the spill was caused by equipment failure saying it was a deliberate act by a third party.
The statement reads, "SPDC is progressing with clean up of the oil spill which occurred at Ikarama in Bayelsa State . A joint investigation visit to the spill site was undertaken on 12th November 2008 and the cause of the spill was attributed to hacksaw cut on the pipe by unknown persons. The community was represented during the JIV.
"Clean-up of the impacted area began with the recovery of free phase oil during the investigation visit, and was briefly suspended in December 2008 to address some safety concerns. Work resumed January 2009.
"We wish to stress that this spill was not the result of poor pipeline maintenance but a deliberate act by a third party. It is an unfortunate fact that some 80 per cent of all spills in the Niger Delta are the result of such acts rather than failure of equipment."
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