Reps urge FG to avert erosion, fire disaster in Abia

The House of Representatives on Tuesday called on the Federal Government to avert erosion and fire disaster caused by petroleum pipeline explosion in Umunwanwa Umuopara in Umuahia South Local Government Area of Abia.
This was sequel to a motion by Hon. Samuel Onuigbo on the need to urgently address erosion in the area that could cause fire disaster from the petroleum pipeline explosion.
Moving the motion, Onuigbo expressed concern that a town in Umuahia South Local Government Area of the state had the Petroleum Management Company pipeline passing through it and the town had been devastated by erosion.
Onuigbo noted that the destruction was threatening lives, property and economic activities in the area.
He recalled that the explosion had recently resulted in the death of about 250 people in Osisioma in Osisioma Local Government Area and was reported to have exhibited similar dangerous signals.
He noted that the issues were brought to the attention of the Federal Government and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation or its subsidiary PPMC, but alleged that such alert and several calls to prevent the deadly incident were ignored.
The lawmaker also said that similar alerts had been sent to the Federal Government and its agencies such as the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.
This, he said, would prevent the occurrence of ugly consequences such as the one that occurred recently in Osisioma.
The motion was unanimously adopted by members when it was put to a voice vote by the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara.
The House, therefore, called on the Federal Government to direct the Ecological Fund Office to immediately carry out Environmental Impact Assessment of the erosion sites affected.
The Ecological fund office is also to urgently embark on erosion control measures to prevent the likely disaster that may occur in the area if nothing was done now.
The House also called on the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources to direct the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation and PPMC to take immediate measures to prevent any calamity resulting from the exposure of the pipeline in the area.
It, therefore, mandated its Committees on Climate Change, Environment and Habitat and Petroleum Downstream to visit the erosion sites in Umunwanwa.
The committees are expected to make recommendations to the House within four weeks on measures to be adopted to ensure permanent solution to the erosion problems and exposure of pipelines and threat to lives, property and economic activities in the area.