A group of oil producing communities and host to Shell Petroleum Development Company Limited, SPDC, in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State has written to the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer, National Environment Standards and Regulation Enforcement Agency, NESREA, to come to their aid by compelling SPDC to discontinue the deliberate releasing of toxic waste into the sea, waters, rivers and creeks in the area as it poses a threat to human lives and killing of aquatic animals.
The host communities include;Yeye1,Yeye 2,Olokpobiri,Sabrisa,Ofougbene, Edah,Osiagbene, Ipinwe, Kantele, Gbolukaka, Bikei, Sokuyor, Aghoro Zion, Egranbene, Tamu-Egranbene, Abonpere and Oyins in the local government area.
The communities through their solicitor in the letter said SPDC since mid-February had been releasing the substance.
According to them, “As a result of this, economic activities such as fishing and farming have since been paralysed. It also led to the loss of aquatic animals and destruction of crops in the area.
According to the communities, they have engaged themselves with every available means to persuade SPDC to discontinue the release and pollution of its waterways but to no avail.
Therefore, they are calling on “NESREA, Delta State government, Ministry of Environment and relevant agencies to constitute a team to take a visit to the communities and also constitute a team to carryout the post-pollution impact assessment and damage assessment respectively, which is in line with the extant provisions of the relevant environmental laws and regulations in Nigeria.”
Vanguard
