Elders and people of the eight communities of the Southern Ijaw Local Government Area (LGA) of Bayelsa State affected by the alleged ecological problems from the January 16 Chevron gas rig explosion in the area have raised another alarm over the noticeable strange emissions from the sea around the site of the rig, warning that the emissions and strong gaseous odour are more threatening than the raging fire that has been burning over the past few weeks.
The fire from the site of the January 16 explosion that rocked the Funiwa 1A natural gas well offshore in the Koluama 1 and 2 communities of the Southern Ijaw LGA fizzled out on Sunday.
A statement monitored yesterday from Chevron website stated that the that the fire at the site of the Funiwa 1A natural gas well offshore in Nigeria ceased burning on Friday, March 2 and that the well stopped flowing on its own.
Chevron authorities said it had detected no natural gas flowing from the well since the fire ceased burning and that it was monitoring the area continuously and would continue “to drill the relief well to permanently plug and abandon Funiwa 1A.”
But the leaders of the eight affected communities in the area have expressed the fear that the worst may not be as a strange gas bubble from the deep waters is emitting gaseous smell that is causing irritation to residents of the communities.
Speaking on behalf of the communities of Koluama 1,2 and six others yesterday during a visit by the special adviser to the president on Niger Delta matters, Hon. Kingsley Kuku, HRH J.T.C. Leghamo, said though the fire had stopped, there was a noticeable bubble of gas leaking into the waters in the area, and causing a worry to the people.