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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Environment & Climate

Reps order immediate solution to Delta oil spill

From The Punch · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Official statement Under investigation
  • The House of Representatives Committee on South-South Development Commission has demanded urgent action to resolve a prolonged gas seepage in Bille community, Rivers State, and an oil spill in Delta State's Odidi community.
  • Technical findings confirmed the presence of hazardous gases in Bille, while the Odidi oil spill has affected the community for over five months, causing severe economic hardship.
  • The committee is pushing for concrete, time-bound solutions, moving beyond prolonged discussions to practical interventions for environmental and developmental challenges in the Niger Delta.

The House of Representatives Committee on South-South Development Commission has issued a strong call for immediate intervention to address a persistent gas seepage in Bille community, Rivers State, and a protracted oil spill affecting the Odidi Federated Community in Delta State. These environmental crises have been ongoing for months, causing significant hardship to residents.

The implications are serious. Beyond the potential risks to health, safety and the environment, the incident has imposed severe economic hardship on the people of Bille.

— Julius PondiChairman of the House Committee on South-South Development Commission, describing the impact of the gas seepage in Bille.

Fresh technical assessments in Bille have revealed the presence of potentially hazardous gases, including hydrogen sulphide, methane, volatile organic compounds, and carbon dioxide, in the air, water, and sediment. This seepage has reportedly continued for approximately nine months, raising serious concerns about public health, safety, and the environment. The committee chairman, Julius Pondi, described the situation as "unacceptable" and highlighted the severe economic impact on the Bille community.

It is unacceptable for an incident of this magnitude to persist for so long without a clear, time-bound and effective resolution strategy.

— Julius PondiChairman of the House Committee on South-South Development Commission, expressing frustration over the prolonged gas seepage.

In Delta State, the Odidi community has been grappling with an oil spill for over five months. The committee held legislative hearings to understand the causes, extent, and response to both incidents. Chairman Pondi emphasized the need to move "from prolonged discussion to concrete action and lasting resolution," underscoring the environmental and developmental challenges faced by oil-producing communities in the Niger Delta.

Most importantly, we want to move from prolonged discussion to concrete action and lasting resolution.

— Julius PondiChairman of the House Committee on South-South Development Commission, calling for practical solutions to the environmental issues.

During a stakeholders' engagement, representatives from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) provided technical briefings. NOSDRA confirmed the "multi-point subsurface gas bubbling" in Bille. The committee expects comprehensive updates from operating companies and relevant agencies, alongside input from the affected communities, to formulate practical and measurable steps towards resolving these critical environmental issues.

multi-point subsurface gas bubbling

— Dr Yusuf RigasaDirector at NOSDRA, describing the findings of the agency's investigation into the gas seepage in Bille.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Punch. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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