Fishermen, residents lament use of chemicals to tackle oil spill in Bayelsa

Fishermen and residents of Koluama 2 community in Bayelsa State have bemoaned the use of toxic dispersants to contain an ongoing oil leak at Conoil’s field.

The fishermen at the Atlantic coastline said the toxic chemicals had wiped out fish species and distorted aquatic life and threatened their work.

Dispersants are chemicals applied with regulatory approval and supervision at deep offshore oilfields to dissolve massive oil spills.

Speaking on the development on Wednesday, the Chairman, Koluama 2, Community Development Committee (CDC), Patrick Ileberi, said the chemical posed a hazard to residents.

“Our fishermen cannot go for their daily expeditions, the ongoing mop-up operations, using this poisonous chemical has forced us out of fishing and the oil workers deploy gunboats to keep us away.

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“It is double trouble because those who wish to enter deep sea fishing cannot go because the security vessels have cordoned off the area and our fishermen cannot cross,” Ileberi said.

He stated that the dispersant polluted the air in the neighbourhood and left a choking sensation and respiratory difficulties.

Ileberi said the community’s leadership had reported the oil spill to the Yenagoa office of National Oil Spills Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA).

The chairman said oil workers at the facility had shut down the pressure on the production pipelines, leading to the disappearance of gas flare flames at the oil field.

Ileberi urged the various tiers of government to come to the aid of the community with relief materials and healthcare missions to Koluama 2.

He regretted that officials of the oil firm were negligent of the adverse health impact of the chemicals on the health of residents.

It was learned that officials of the oil spill agency, NOSDRA, visited the spill site on Monday to commence an investigation into the one-week-old incident.

When contacted, the NOSDRA Director-General, Idris Musa, told NAN that the agency did not approve the use of dispersants in the area.

However, the Media Relations Manager of the oil firm, Abiodun Azeez, declined to comment on the development.

The Star