12 February 2014, Yenagoa – A leakage from Agip’s Idu Well 3, located in Egbebiri area of Biseni in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, is currently discharging crude into the environment.
The development is said to be causing grave concern to the indigenes as well as forcing construction workers in the area to pull out of site due to toxic smell of the gaseous discharge.
The construction workers were seen removing their personal effects from the earth moving machinery while they discussed the oil and gas leak.
“This leakage has made this whole area very unsafe; the smell of the gas is very poisonous and I cannot continue to expose my workers to it. We have to suspend work until something is done about the oil and gas discharge,” the site supervisor who wished to be anonymous said.
A surveillance staff from the oil firm who was found at the site, said that the leak was reported on February 7, but expressed regret that nothing had been done to stop the leak.
The staff further said that he had been exposed to the toxic gas from the oil well and appealed to the management of Agip to address the problem.
“This leak was noticed on Friday and promptly reported to the surveillance department. They asked me to put it in writing in addition to sending them a video clip I recorded with my phone. They have sent different groups of people to come here but they just looked at the leak and left. They were supposed to send down a maintenance team to halt the leakage.
“It started small, but you can see that the site is already surrounded by a pool of oil. The leakage is worsening by the day as more oil is gushing out as the pressure is increasing the leak on the pipe,” he said.
It was observed that the oil sediments collect into a pool and flows into a nearby pit where remnants of an earlier spill awaited recovery and clean up.
Efforts to get comments of Agip’s Spokesman, Mr Tajudeen Adigun on the development were unsuccessful as he did not respond to the calls or text messages sent to his mobile phone.
– Vanguard
