SPDC must not delay in cleaning up the environment, pay adequate compensation – Edward | The Liberator
By Binebai Princewill
Chairman of Odimodi and its federated communities in Iduwini Kingdom, Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State, Chief Edward Prebor have stated that the Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC must not delay in cleaning up the environment from the harzadous chemicals in its waters.
While noting that Odimodi is not happy with the latest spread of chemicals in its waters, Chief Prebor reiterated that till date fishes are still dying in large quantities along the sea shore of Isiayegbene in Burutu Local Government Area.
Chief Edward Prebor, popularly known as the annointed chairman of Odimodi and its federated communities made the disclosure yesterday during a tour to Isiayegbene and other of its villages where fishes where seen lying lifeless along the see shore.
The chairman while harping on the untold hardship the strange chemical had brought to his people noted that they can’t go to the river to fish anymore as the entire river has been polluted by the ravaging chemical.
Prebor asserted that SPDC must immediately begin the process of making arrangements to see how the affected communities will be compensated in order to ameliorate their unpredictable sufferings.
In speaking on the deadly chemical, he said there is Water Disposal Line, WDL in Isiayegbene that is used only to dispose water via the Forcados Terminal, revealing that things takes different dimension when this Water Disposal Line is used to secretely dispose crude and other deadly chemicals into the river via Isiayegbene offshore.
He noted that SPDC is using the WDL line to dispose crude now instead of water, this according to him is owing to the fact that there is excess crude in the Forcados Terminal as there are no enough tanks to store crude.
Chief Prebor added that the release of crude and other chemicals via the WDL line is responsible for the massive killing of the aquatic bodies in the area, stressing that such dangerous practice must stop.
The community chairman has called on the Federal Government, Delta State Government and other relevant environmental organisations in Nigeria to rescue them from the baleful experience.
However, when the media crew visit’s the sea shore of Isiayegbene as a case study, this reporter saw dead fishes along the sea shore, the dead fishes are predominantly broke manage and few bonga fishes.
The dead fishes has common features, they have swollen stomachs as well as other features that looks like aquatic bodies that was killed by poisonous substance.
According to residents in the area, they said during high tide, the fishes will be coming to longside via the big tidal waves, a situation where villagers will be coming out in their numbers to pick them into big baskets.
According to a resident that would not want her name to be mentioned in print noted that after picking the fishes in large quantities, they normally eat the fishes after smoking them, stressing that the story is same for other villages in the area.
She stated that since the development, they hardly go to fish anymore since the entire river has been polluted.
Meanwhile, also part of the visit was the youth president of Odimodi and its federated communities, Comr. Akin Disi, a geologist who wsrned that people within the area must not eat the fishes as they could pose great challenge to the human health.
