VANGUARD
RESIDENTS of Ibaa community and Uvuawhu clan, comprising Ibaa and Obelle in Emohua Local Government Area, Rivers State, have kicked up a fuss over contamination of their underground water and environment purportedly by a multinational oil firm.
The villagers claimed that undetermined barrels of crude oil discharged from a corroded Manifold 8, operated by the Shell Petroleum Development Limited, SPDC, at Omuobizu in Ibaa have been polluting their underground water with hydrocarbons since 2015.
They said the situation aggravated as the unconstrained crude oil spread to nearby water wells in Uvuawhu Comprehensive High School and the compounds of some inhabitants, including Mr. Sunday Egbune in Omkpoba.
SPDC intervention
A source said: “In response, SPDC, in 2022, drilled several groundwater-monitoring wells across its trunk line to compounds near the location. It used cement to cast the water wells in Mr. Prince Chukwure’s compound and Comprehensive Secondary School from bottom to top to stop people from using those wells.”
Chukwure leads protest
However, following the contamination, Chukwure, leading other members of the affected family, approached the KABETKACHE Women Development and Resource Centre, and Obelle Concerned Citizens for help.
The KABETACHE group visited the community, stressed the need for investigation into the immediate and remote causes of the incident, and alerted operators of the facility, SPDC.
Community sources said that since then, personnel of SPDC have refused to engage with the affected families and community, but resumed efforts to clean the underground water, supposedly using uncertified methods…
