Solomon Gbegha, the chairman of the community, revealed that the community reported……
By Ebegha Meshack
The residents of the Odimodi community, located in the Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State, have raised concerns regarding a gas leak originating from the Bemobebe-aka Gas Well. This gas well is operated by the Agip Oil Company and is situated on the outskirts of the town. Brakemi Ndoro, a fisherman, was the first to report the leakage, attributing the toxic emissions to a broken valve at the company’s gas plant. According to Ndoro, the leak has been ongoing for approximately three months.
Solomon Gbegha, the chairman of the community, revealed that the community reported the gas leak to the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA). Last month, NOSDRA conducted a joint inspection of the leak along with community representatives.
Gbegha , however, lamented: “No other efforts have been made to shut down the leakage after the inspection. Our people are living in fear after they were instructed to stay off the spot until the danger is averted. “
According to a resident, the villagers are currently experiencing significant health problems as a result of inhaling gas emissions and are fearful of a potential fire outbreak.
Chima Williams, the Executive Director of Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN), mentioned that the community reached out to their organization with an urgent plea for assistance. They requested intervention from ERA/FoEN to prevent the situation from escalating beyond manageable levels.
Communications Officer, Elvira Jordan in a statement, said, ” ERA/FoEN calls on the Agip Oil Company to immediately clamp the gas leakage from the Bemobebe-aka Gas Well located in Odimodi community. “
‘Despite housing multinational companies, Odimodi has been neglected by these companies, hence the slow response to oil spills and has leakages.
” The government needs to implement stringent policies that will regulate and manage the activities of oil multinationals in Odimodi and other host communities.
“ERA/FoEN calls on Agip to stop the leakage and urges NOSDRA to conduct an assessment of the level of air pollution in the area for immediate clean up.
” We also recommend that a medica team be deployed in Odimodi to examine the health status of the people, after being exposed to such air and environmental pollution.
“Furthermore, we implore NOSDRA to rise up to its duties in implementing contingency plans against oil spills and gas leakages in Odimodi and other host communities.”
