Determined to realise its core mandate, the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) has commenced the full implementation of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Report in Ogoniland, with the remediation of soil in Korokoro Community in Tai Local Government Area of Rivers State.
Feelers to this effect emerged, last Tuesday, when HYPREP conducted newsmen round its demonstration site in Korokoro Community where it has already started the remediation of impacted sites in the area.
While conducting journalists round Well 3 in the community, HYPREP’s Head of Communication, Mr. Isa Wasa, said the soil remediation in the community was to enable the people farm and carry out other necessary activities in their lands which had been affected by oil exploitation for several years.
He said the essence of the remediation was to show to the world that the clean-up of Ogoniland by the agency was in progress contrary to speculations that no positive work was going on in the area.
According to him, HYPREP had already entered into partnership with some companies to actualise its core mandate of cleaning up Ogoniland.
Wasa reassured that HYPREP would deliver on its mandate, and urged Ogoni people to continue to cooperate and support the agency in its bid to clean-up impacted communities in the area.
Also speaking, the Technical Director of one of the companies handling the soil remediation project, Vitruvian Global Resources, Engr. Barikor Felix said the company was working very hard to ensure that the purpose of the project was achieved.
“Our company is an indigenous company. We are in technical partnership with Shareforce LCC, an American company that has been assisting us in the demonstration exercise for HYPREP”, he said.
He further disclosed that the company had been at the demonstration site in Korokoro community for 12 days at no cost to the government and HYPREP, saying, it was basically at the site to showcase its capacity.
Felix hinted that since the arrival of the company at the site, it has been able to reduce the TPH level of the soil in the community, assuring that “with the help of our technology, we would be able to carry out underground treatment to restore the environment to a better level”.
He thanked the Paramount Ruler of Tai Kingdom, King Godwin Gininwa for the provision of security at the site and for other logistics support, which he said, had made the work of the company less cumbersome.
On his part, the Managing Director of DLK Oil & Gas Environment Resources, Engr. James Kasten said the remediation was actually in progress, as his company was effectively working with the people and other companies to achieve set target.
According to him, the necessary equipment had been deployed to improve the soil quality in the community.
“We have 1,500 cubic guard of soil we are treating,” he said.
“HYPREP has 750 but we are doing double of it. The rain is the greatest challenge we are facing. It is preventing us from getting into the excavation hole we have dug. We are applying bio-remediation in the cleaning of the soil in order to improve it”, he added.

Donatus Ebi & Amarachi Anene