Another Pipeline explosion, second within four months in Ubeta community in Rivers

It was not clear if there are casualties in the raging fire.

… Former NMA warn of dangers of infertility, disruption of Ovulation and miscarriages in women.

 Ibrahim BAKARE/Port Harcourt

Panic has gripped residents of Ubeta Community in Ahoada-West Local Government Area of Rivers due to second explosion at an oil spill site over the pollution of their environment and emission of hydrocarbon soot into atmosphere.

Eze Chimezie Nathaniel the Paramount ruler of Ubeta community confirmed that the explosion is accompanied by a raging fire started at about 3pm yesterday at an old oil spill site owned by the Agip oil company.

“I was coming in from Ahoada when I saw some soldiers along the P and T road and when I looked up I saw a heavy bellow of smoke from an oil spill site that occurred more than a month now and no clean-up has been done on it. The community is not happy because the heap smoke is not only scary but an Environmental hazard to residents.

“We don’t know what to do. When there is a spillage the company should do the needful as soon as possible to avoid this kind of disaster instead of bothering the people. What I saw in the sky today is definitely going to be source of health challenge to the people. We are not happy.”

Farmlands and fishponds were totally burnt down in Ubeta community due to an explosion there in September 20 this year which was said to have been caused by vandalization by suspected oil thieves.

It was gathered that there had been attempt to clean up oil spill site by the Agip oil company due to the intervention of National Oil Spill Detection Response Agency, NOSDRA. It was clear how far the clean-up had gone before the current explosion.

Pipeline explosion due to oil spillage is one of the commonest cause of Environmental disaster among the oil bearing Communities in the Niger Delta with soot emitted into the atmosphere. Most of the spillages are due to the activities of oil thieves and illegal oil bunkering and equipment failure.

Pipeline explosion had happened on Friday 20 September, 2019 in same Community when residents  scamper out of the community for fear that fire may  burn down community.

Dr. Ibitorukuemi Kurubo, former Chairman, Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, a Senior Medical Doctor and an Endocrinologist with the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, UPTH, warned that constant inhaling of the poisonous soot by people could cause infertility among women, still birth, miscarriages, increase respiratory complications, especially in Children and asthmatic Patients.

He said inhaling the hydrocarbon consistently may affect the reproductive hormones and may stop Ovulation in some women.

“The soot also has an effect in the reproductive system of the body. Direct exposure to the hydrocarbons may affect fertility hormones in the body of the women. The first thing is the alterations of the hormones system in our body. For the woman, it may cause her not to ovulate as regularly as she used to and overtime, Ovulation itself may stop. And without Ovulation itself she cannot have fertility.”

He also said “Even when a woman expose to soot gets Pregnant it may cause congenital malfunctions of the baby. It may likely increase in abortions and feutal wastages (miscarriages) in the woman.”

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Dr. Ibitorukuemi Kurubo, called on Government at all levels to stop hydrocarbon emissions into the air to save lives because everybody is at risk because we must breathe in air.