Ikarama community has always been identified with oil spill and related inferno more than any other community in Bayelsa State. This community, which is located in Okordia clan in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State has Shell and Agip operating within its environment. And, almost all the spills occurring in the community has been from Shell’s facilities; either from the Okordia Manifold, Adibawa-Okordia delivery line or the Okordia-Rumuekpe pipeline. These have left negative impacts in terms of livelihood loss, health problems and degraded environment in general.
For instance, between August and November 2011 there have been 10 spills; the current spill reported here, increased the number to 11.
Information from the community reached the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) about another inferno on 9 November 2011. ERA field monitors visited the community on 10 November to to see first-hand and document the details below:

Details from the field
Community folks told ERA monitors that the current spill occurred at about mid-night on Monday 7 November 2011. It was gathered that the people woke up and found the spill the following morning on Tuesday [8th November, 2011].  Day after the impacted site went up in flames. To prevent the fire from causing much destruction the community folks battled it with detergents and water.

OBERVATION/CONCLUSION
ERA field monitors observed that the spill occurred where three other spills had previously occurred about 200 metres from Shell’s Okordia Manifold and almost directly opposite a security post built by the same company for its surveillance guards along the Rumuekpe-Okordia pipeline.
Another observation was that, the spill/fire impacted site is only separated by a newly constructed road from another spill/fire site which occurred in September 2011. A spill that impacted this very site in August 2011 is also yet to be cleaned except for some measure of recovery [scooping spilt crude into jerrycans] carried out by Shell. At the time of visit, the crude oil was still oozing from the pipeline.
Also observed was some burnt vegetation, including palm trees. As at the time of visit, a Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) had not been carried out to ascertain the cause of spill, impacted area and extent of damage.
ERA DEMANDS
•    Shell and the relevant government agencies find lasting solution to the unending spills in Ikamama
•    A JIV be carried out with representatives of the community people adequately represented
•    Shell immediately clamp the rupture site and remediate the environment
•    Shell compensate the impacted people

Location: Ikarama Community, Okordia clan, Yenagoa LGA; Bayelsa State
GPS Coordinates:  Elev: 4m, N 05°09.201’, E 006°27.182’
Date of Visit: 10 November 2011

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