Community Raises Alarm Over Crude Pollution

The people of Umuagu community in Akwa town of Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State have raised alarm over huge crude pollution in their river.
Prince Godwin Achonwa, who raised the alarm on behalf of the community, during an interview with The Tide in Port Harcourt, Thursday, said their axis of Imo River has for years been experiencing heavy crude pollution and that all efforts to get the attention of the Shell Petroleum  Development Company (SPDC) have not yielded any result.
Achonwa said the pollution has destroyed  sea foods and environment adding that the first time SPDC’s intervention was sought, the oil firm said, the oil deposit in the community was yet to mature for exploitation.
“For about three year now, my community has been suffering for this huge crude pollution and all efforts to get SPDC to come to our rescue have failed”, he said, remarking that the ugly situation was because the community does not have an influential person to attract attention of relevant authorities.
Achonwa appealed to people of goodwill in Etche and beyond to assist the community get help so that the life and the environment would not go to extinction.

Chris Oluoh