Location: Kalaba Community in Okordia Clan of Yenagoa LGA,Bayelsa State

GPS Coordinate: Elev.11m, N05°07.725’, E006°27.375’

Date of Spill:December 17, 2011 , Date of Visit: January 7, 2012

Kalaba is a community inOkordia clan that is bounded by Ikarama to the north and Akumoni community to the southif approached from the East/West Road in Yenagoa Local Government area of Bayelsa State. The community people are mainly into fishing and farming.  The community hosts Agip pipelines that deliver crude oil from the Taylor creek A oil well to location 11 oil well in Oshie. The pipe line runs through the community’s rivulet called Taylor creek,and cuts across community houses, a road, swamps and farmlands. Though the pipeline had caused conflict between the Kalaba people and their neighbors in Akumoni, the impact of frequent oil spills have destroyed farmlands and livelihoods.

The kalaba environment has suffered large scale water, air and land pollution for several years. In 2011 the community experienced 10 oil spills along this pipe line, resulting indead fish that are regularly seenfloating in crude oil spewed onswamps and farmlands. As a result, the people have desertedseveral farmlands, fish ponds and no longer drink from the Taylor creek.

ERA/FoEN monitors visited the community to document the impacts of an ongoing spill thathas been dischargingcrudein gaseous form into the atmosphere and on crops around the environment since December 17, 2011. The spill was discovered by Mr. Roman Orukali, a fish farmer and former Community Development Committee (CDC)Chairman. The testimonies of Orukali and Mrs. Ovia Joe the incumbent woman leader of the community are documented below:

THEIR TESTIMONIES

Mrs. Ovia Joe

Like majority of the women that reside in this village,I am into farming .Our greatest challenge is that oil spill is destroying our farmlands and fish ponds.  As am talking to you now crude oil is spraying and killing our crops in the bush, I may  not be able to tell you who’s farm  will be effected this time  but am sure that last year alone we had over 10 oil spill incidents and some farms were seriously impacted .Our farms are either flooded by crude oil or burnt without compensation. I have also abandoned my largest farm to oil spill and can identify12 other women in this village that have done same.This has discouraged us from farming. Our husbands, including mine have stopped fishing as well .Oil spill hasrendered our only natural sources of free and cleandrinking waterincluding theTaylor creekuseless becauseIt has persistently polluted every known water body in this community. This year we saw deadfish floating on our river and on our fish ponds.

I want Agip to clamp the pipeline and pay for the damage the crude oil has done to our farms and provide security for the pipeline. I do not want to continue depending on smaller farms with poor yield that is grossly inadequateto feed myfamily when I know that in the nearest feature I may even lose it to other oil spills. ERA/FoEN should help us tell the oil companies to come and clean up our environment and pay compensation.

Mr. Roman Orulali

Two weeks ago  I was going to bail afish pond when a worrisome sound drew my attention to this spill point where Idiscovered the leak .I saw crudeoil in form of gas emitting from the Agip pipeline and destroying the environment as usual. This is not the first time we have suffered this fate with this pipe line as last year alone we witnessed severaloil spills from this same pipeline area. We have about five hundred farmers and two hundred fishermen in this village that depend on the river and the land to survive,so anything that negatively impacts the land and water willhave severe effect on the people .We have been continually denied our means of livelihood and if it remains like this in the nearest future we may be depending on others to give us water and food to eat; a situationwhich is highly regrettable and unacceptable to us.

Though when we got to the spill site the pressure had reduceddrastically, I believe the hidden agent of Agip living in the community hasinformed the company and they may have done something to lessen the pressure.But till date,no company agent or staff has visited the site to do anything. The effects of the spills are so much that we are now reluctant to continue farming. In addition he said we expect Agip to come and clamp the leaking pipe, clean up the environmentand ensure that compensation is paid to community folks.

OBSERVATION /CONCLUSION

From their major road to the ruptured point ERA/FoEN monitor sawseveral spotsthat reveal recent oil spills, includingevidence of burnt spill sites.

In the about 30-minute walk through Agip right-of-way farmlands where plantain, cassava and banana are grown, were observed in close proximity with the affected pipeline. The sound of the pressure and later the odour of crude were perceived. Crude oil clinging to leaves was observed by ERA/FoENmonitors around the spill site. The crude oilwas noticed still escaping from the pipe in gaseous form.ERA/FoENmonitors were intimated that the pressure was much higher than what immediately observed and this was confirmed by the heavy presence of crude on the leaves of taller grasses and shrubs found in the area.

ERA/FoENRECOMMENDS

1. Agip immediately clamp and properly clean up the ruptured site and the affected areas in Kalaba Community.

2. The community officially informsAgip and government agencies like NOSDRA of the incident.

3. A Joint investigation visit (JIV) be carried out to identify the cause.

4. Compensation be paid to all affected persons

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