Dennis Naku
5 November 2009
Yenagoa — PEOPLE of Gbarantoru community in the Yenagoa Local Government Area (LGA) of Bayelsa State have raised alarm over a new gas flare in their community, due to a blow out in one of the gas furnace owned by Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC).
This is as the community accused SPDC of igniting a new gas flare site about 120 metres from the human settlement at a time frantic efforts are being made to end flares, in the region.
Gas flare is partly responsible for global climate change, hence government and multinational oil concerns have been at loggerheads on deadline to end gas flares.
An indigene of the community, Mr. Bubaraye Dakolo, who conducted a team of Environmental Right Action (ERA) were shocked by the action of the company especially at a time when efforts were on to put an end to gas flaring world wide due to its negative effect on the environment.
He said: "By the emission and flaring of this toxic substance into our environment, Shell has decided to deny us an environment safe enough for our development. Without any notice the community was woken up rudely one night by this deafening sound you are hearing now.
"We are not only very apprehensive, we are aware of the noxiousness of gas flare; hence we are very uncomfortable with the situation. And as you can observe the flare point is just about a hundred and twenty meters from our living homes," he added.
"This thing (flare) was not here last week. And, it shouldn't be here either, for we are not talking about any benefits here; you don't need to die to get benefits. Shell should not gas us to death. If we go through the main entrance now you will notice men of the Joint Task Force there and, they will deny us access to the site.
"We want Shell to relocate this gas flare from our environment. Luckily I was part of the Global Memorandum of Understanding (GMOU) between Shell and the cluster communities. And while discussing that document, there was no mention in any part that gas would be flared here in our community.
"What we know is that a gas gathering plant would be sited around here and that the product would be channelled to Bonny in Rivers State. So, why should Shell now gas us through the back?
"Again, apart from the huge economic waste in flaring gas, the noxiousness of it is grave too health wise. If you also take a look at our roofs now you will notice that there is a heavy settlement of soot on them. From this too, you can see that we can no longer drink from our roofs, "he concluded.
In a similar reaction, ERA Field Officer in Bayelsa State, Mr. Alagoa Morris called on the company to stop the flare especially at a time when frantic efforts at making gas flaring history is being aggressively pursued by all stakeholders.
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