As indications show almost 50 per cent rise in cases of oil spills resulting from the activities of pipeline vandals in Rivers State, the National Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) has called on relevant stakeholders to coalesce action to checkmate the ugly trend.

NOSDRA’s South-South Zonal Director, Cyrus Nkangwung told Kristina Reports in Port Harcourt that it recorded 295 cases of pipeline vandalism with 29,012 barrels of crude oil spilled into the environment in Rivers State in 2019.

Nkagwung, who disclosed that this represents a sharp rise from 290 cases with 14,615.19 barrels in 2018, warned that should there be no concerted multi-stakeholder approach to checkmate this, the situation will remain scary. 

“The incidences for the two years compared, you see that in 2018 we have 14,615.9 barrels with 290 cases, then in 2019, you have 295 cases with 29,012.20 barrels. You see the trend, generally, is a scary situation, where instead of reducing we are increasing the volume into the environment with several higher cases with sabotage incidents.”

This is why we are displaying these things for us to know that it is quite difficult. In fact, our laws does not even contemplate that one day we will this kind of high volumes spilled into our environment. The incidents of sabotage is more than we ever envisaged.”

The NOSDRA Zonal Director regretted that the volume of crude oil spill as a result of sabotage by vandals was a scary situation and a waste of government revenue and environmental degradation.

That is to tell you that the best thing to do this year is to reinvigorate public enlightenment because this is not a safe situation at all where you have the quantity of crude spilled into the environment. One, it is a wastage of government revenue, and two, it is an environmental disaster.

He said there was the need for vigorous public enlightenment against this illicit act so as to bring about a reduction to the loss. “I am calling on our communities to take a look at these. It is quite scary. So, we want urge everybody, all Rivers people to come together to advance cause towards public enlightenment to our people in the local communities, wherever the community is, so that we can bring about a reduction in sabotage cases in 2020.”