Residents of Ogboinbiri community, in Apoi Clan of Southern Ijaw local government area of Bayelsa State have called the attention of authorities to a heavy volume of crude oil from Agip facility which this weekend flooded their swamps and river.
The latest spill follows on an earlier one which occurred around May/June, 2020, a resident said.
Environmental group, ERA/FoEN, which announces the recent spill, said it was informed about the incident by community contacts today.
One community source said: ” l am currently reaching out to you from Ogboinbiri community. I think we currently have a situation that will interest you now. Just yesterday another spillage occurred in the community. It happened on a wellhead.
“The gushing has stopped, but I just can’t tell when it started. I only met the situation when I was coming back from a function in a nearby village. I met the situation when the company was trying to remedy the situation. Even as that, as of today the spread of the oil is felt everywhere on the river”
The community source, who said he got to the spill site ‘between 4-5pm’, added that, ” It is possible the spill was ongoing for a while before we arrived the scene.
“The problem now is that the camera might not capture the flow on the river very well; yet even as l am communicating with you now, it is still flowing clearly (on the river)”
Another community source said Agip moved quickly and the cleanup was done immediately with detergent.
“They said the army with gunboat was used to seal up the area and asked people to stay clear. Yes, confirmed, it occurred on Well 7 at the cluster entrance.”
“It was severe yesterday when it flowed from the location to the river. It happened at Ogboinbiri Well 7, ” another resident of the area said.
ERA/FoEN, which said it was monitoring the situation, said:
“While the prompt reaction of the facility owner, Nigeria Agip Oil Company (NAOC) is a good one, every such incident is supposed to be officially made known to the regulators by the oil industry operators. It is also known that sometimes operators fail to inform the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) and state ministries of environment. This might not be an exception, judging from the observed and alleged swift response with detergent.
“From video clip and photos at ERA/FoEN disposal, made available by community contacts; the river still had traces of crude oil this afternoon and the spewing crude oil from the wellhead was with high pressure, as at when it was captured yesterday.
” NOSDRA and the Bayelsa State Ministry of Environment should take steps to ensure Agip pays the fine according to the law, if the company failed to duly notify the regulators and trying to dodge responsibility. Also, Agip should do a proper cleanup, give relief materials and where necessary, compensate victims of the company’s operations.”
Residents of Ogboinbiri community, in Apoi Clan of Southern Ijaw local government area of Bayelsa State have called the attention of authorities to a heavy volume of crude oil from Agip facility which this weekend flooded their swamps and river.
The latest spill follows on an earlier one which occurred around May/June, 2020, a resident said.
Environmental group, ERA/FoEN, which announces the recent spill, said it was informed about the incident by community contacts today.
One community source said: ” l am currently reaching out to you from Ogboinbiri community. I think we currently have a situation that will interest you now. Just yesterday another spillage occurred in the community. It happened on a wellhead.
“The gushing has stopped, but I just can’t tell when it started. I only met the situation when I was coming back from a function in a nearby village. I met the situation when the company was trying to remedy the situation. Even as that, as of today the spread of the oil is felt everywhere on the river”
The community source, who said he got to the spill site ‘between 4-5pm’, added that, ” It is possible the spill was ongoing for a while before we arrived the scene.
“The problem now is that the camera might not capture the flow on the river very well; yet even as l am communicating with you now, it is still flowing clearly (on the river)”
Another community source said Agip moved quickly and the cleanup was done immediately with detergent.
“They said the army with gunboat was used to seal up the area and asked people to stay clear. Yes, confirmed, it occurred on Well 7 at the cluster entrance.”
“It was severe yesterday when it flowed from the location to the river. It happened at Ogboinbiri Well 7, ” another resident of the area said.
ERA/FoEN, which said it was monitoring the situation, said: “While the prompt reaction of the facility owner, Nigeria Agip Oil Company (NAOC) is a good one, every such incident is supposed to be officially made known to the regulators by the oil industry operators. It is also known that sometimes operators fail to inform the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) and state ministries of environment. This might not be an exception, judging from the observed and alleged swift response with detergent.
“From video clip and photos at ERA/FoEN disposal, made available by community contacts; the river still had traces of crude oil this afternoon and the spewing crude oil from the wellhead was with high pressure, as at when it was captured yesterday.
” NOSDRA and the Bayelsa State Ministry of Environment should take steps to ensure Agip pays the fine according to the law, if the company failed to duly notify the regulators and trying to dodge responsibility. Also, Agip should do a proper cleanup, give relief materials and where necessary, compensate victims of the company’s operations.”