SPDC Chemicals: Burutu, Ofougbene communities cries out, says they are gravely affected – The Liberator
By Binebai Princewill
The people of Burutu community and their brothers, Ofougbene community have stated that the Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC hazardous chemicals in Ogulagha waters have flowed from the tide to their waters killing dozens of fishes on a daily basis.
In their separate mesages, signed and circulated to newsmen in Warri yesterday by the duo of Engr. Kingsley Forcados, chairman of Ofougbene community and Comr. Pondy Ebipadewei Stainless, chairman of Burutu community, a copy of which was sent to The Liberator Newspaper, the leaders have on behalf of the communities noted that dead fishes seem to have littered their waters recently.
The duo maintained that the rate at which fishes are dying before their very eyes and some floating within their waters have become very disturbing and alarming, they particularly described the situation as a strange one.
The Burutu and Ofougbene chairmen have called on SPDC to stop spreading the said allegedly dangerous chemical, stressing that aquatic bodies are no longer safe in their waters.
They maintained that fishing is their only source of livelihood, adding that the destruction of it amounts to making lives difficult to the fishermen and women in the respective communities.
Pondy and Engr. Forcados had called on SPDC to quickly rethink what can be done urgently to ameliorate the sufferings of the people, stressing that the chemical have spread to their waters killing dozens of fishes on a daily basis they can’t go to river to fish anymore.
They however, begged community members not to eat the fishes, stressing that they may have been contaminated by the said chemical which according to them could cause some health challenges if the fishes are consumed.
Meanwhile, the community chairmen had called on the Federal, State, Local Governments to do something urgently about the ugly development by cleaning up the environment and adequate compensation be paid to the affected communities.
