Vanguard (Nigeria): Olomoro community alleges dumping of toxic waste by Shell: "Olomoro Community in Delta State led by renowned Environmentalist, Dr George Idodo-Umeh, yesterday raised an alarm over the spread of strange diseases in the area due to the illegal dumping of toxic waste in the River Areba by the Shell Producing and Developing Company": Thursday 20 October 2005

By Osaro Okhomina

Posted to the Web: Thursday, October 20, 2005

BENIN CITY — Olomoro Community in Delta State led by renowned Environmentalist, Dr.George Idodo-Umeh, yesterday raised an alarm over the spread of strange diseases in the area due to the illegal dumping of toxic waste in the River Areba by the Shell Producing and Developing Company (SPDC), alleging that over 50 persons were killed due to the consumption of fishes contaminated with heavy metals and other toxic chemicals.

The elders of the community, who were led to the Benin Office of Vanguard yesterday by Dr George Idodo-Umeh and armed with a survey conducted by him on the damage done to the river by the alleged deposition of liquid and solid waste, challenged the Federal and State Governments and the oil company to conduct a joint survey on the waste and come out with a control measure to save the lives of their people.

Speaking on behalf of the community, Dr Idodo-Umeh said the tests conducted by him on the existence of high concentration of heavy metals and other poisonous materials was done due to the increasing cases of deaths in the area, saying all efforts by the community to stop the dumping and call for reassessment of such waste by the Ministry of Environment failed to yield result.

According to him, "in recent past, the invalid water of our community have been subjected to ecological degradation as a result of environmental pollution. It is also well known that the effect of pollution is detrimental to fisheries resources and other aquatic organisms.

"We have noticed, however that the oil exploration activities of SPDC in the areas of oil wells, laying of pipelines, construction of flow stations with other surface activities have been contaminating the environment."

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