As Communities in Delta State continue to suffocate under environmental degredation and air pollution, resulting from exploration activities, the State House of Assembly has vowed to sanction oil companies found to be responsible for the plight of the people.
Chairman House Committee on oil, Gas and Environment, Pullah Ekpotuayerin, has, therefore, tasked multinationals in the Niger Delta area to stop dumping toxic waste chemicals in the sea and nearby forests, which endanger the inhabitants and aquatic creatures.
Ekpotuayerin spoke in Asaba while receiving reports of some community leaders from Burutu, Ughelli South and Warri South West council areas of the state on companies’ indiscriminate dumping of wastes materials in parts of Niger Delta region.
According to the Lawmaker, oil companies should always consider the safety and protection of their host communities’ environment as well as lives of aquatic creatures.
Ekpotuayerin, who represented Burutu South Constituency noted, “I want to say the Delta state House of Assembly will take some very drastic punitive measures on companies which violate and develop the habit of destroying the environment deliberately by dumping toxic waste materials on the waterways, the high sea and forests.
“You are not only destroying the lives of the aquatic creatures, but destroying lives of people living around your operational base.
“This deliberate act causes adverse economic effect as crops and plants growth is affected, as well as fishing activities as waste chemicals cut short lives of aquatic creatures, especially fishes and prawns die in their numbers, making life harsh and unbearable for fishermen/farmers in Niger Delta region.
“Apart from oil spill which damages the environment massively, companies still deliberately dumping toxic waste materials in high sea, rivers and forest within where they operate.
“This will be looked into by the committee which I shared and punitive measures shall be taken to curb flagrant abuse of the environment in Delta state.”
The lawmaker charged multinational oil companies to find ways to stop Gas flaring as continued abuse of the environment through massive flaring of Gas endangers the lives of the Niger Delta people.
“Residents of the Niger/Delta region have had their life span cut short below 70 years with strange ailments resulting from acidic pollution of oil and Gas in the region.”
The lawmaker also cautioned on the activities of illegal refinery operators of the adverse health effect posed on the lives of people in the communities, as well as the environment.
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