SSDC distributes relief materials to Rivers community hit by gas seepage – Daily Trust

The South-South Development Commission (SSDC) has distributed humanitarian relief materials to residents of Bille Kingdom in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State following persistent gas seepage and methane emissions which have contaminated underground water sources, rivers and native wells.

The intervention, initiated by the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the fee, Usoro Akpabio, is geared toward cushioning the hardship confronted by residents whose livelihoods and each day actions have been disrupted by the environmental disaster.

The fee’s Executive Director, Social Services and Human Capital Development, Preye Aganaba, led the delegation to the affected community.

Akpabio mentioned the fee wouldn’t abandon the residents, assuring them that their restoration remained a precedence.

She described Bille as an vital financial hub in Rivers State and the South-South area, warning that the gas seepage had disrupted companies, threatened meals safety, displaced households and disadvantaged residents of their livelihoods.

She disclosed that the fee offered 86 classes of meals and non-food objects, together with rice, beans, garri, noodles, vegetable oil, mattresses, mosquito nets, buckets, sanitary pads and child diapers.

According to her, the intervention was in fulfilment of President Bola Tinubu’s directive to the fee to help weak communities and speed up improvement throughout the six South-South states.

“The plight of the people of Bille is of great concern to the Commission. Their recovery remains a priority, and we want to assure them that they will not be overlooked in our developmental agenda,” she mentioned.

Akpabio added that the intervention was designed to complement the efforts of Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, the Rivers State Emergency Management Agency and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).

Speaking on behalf of the Bille Council of Chiefs, its Chairman, Bennett Okpoke, appreciated the fee’s response however referred to as on the Federal and Rivers State Governments to urgently handle the basis reason behind the disaster.

He mentioned residents had endured extended gas and methane seepage, with devastating penalties for his or her water sources, well being and financial actions.

Also talking, NEMA’s Head for Bayelsa and Rivers States, Chidi Ogundu, mentioned the company had carried out an Environmental Impact Assessment to set up the extent of the harm, with findings indicating important opposed results.

He disclosed that NEMA’s technical group had commenced efforts to handle potable water challenges within the community to forestall additional publicity to well being hazards.

The relief materials had been formally handed over to the community via NEMA and obtained by representatives of the Council of Chiefs of King Igbikingeri Ngowari Cornelius Herbert, Agbaniye-Jike XVIII.