Oil spill has hit K-Dere, in Gokana Local Government in Rivers State.
The incident, which happened on January 3, reportedly came from the Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC) pipeline right of way that pumps crude to Port Harcourt Refinery.
Community members attributed the spill to equipment failure.
It was gathered that in Port Harcourt the leakage occurred from a section of the facility, which ruptured and spilled crude into the community’s environment about 17 years ago and was repaired, but not clamped.
A statement by the Executive Director of Youth and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria) in the state, Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, said the community was insisting on a Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) with the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), to the spill site, apparently to ascertain the cause of the leakage before repairs would be carried out on the pipeline.
The community’s resistance stalled the quick attempt by PPMC to fix the spill point.
“But the company has temporarily stopped the spill with a cement barricade, to enable it continue the transportation of crude needed for the test run of the Port Harcourt Refinery, pending when requirements are met and permanent repairs are expected on the spill point,” Fyneface said.
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