The South-South Development Commission (SSDC) has distributed food and non-food relief materials to residents of Bille Kingdom in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State affected by persistent gas seepage and methane emissions.
The intervention followed growing concerns over the contamination of underground water, rivers and local wells, with residents appealing to the Federal and Rivers State Governments to urgently address the environmental crisis.
Speaking on behalf of the Bille Council of Chiefs, its Chairman, Chief Bennett Okpoke, appreciated the Commission’s intervention but called for a permanent solution to the gas seepage.
He said the environmental crisis had disrupted residents’ livelihoods and daily activities, urging government authorities and environmental agencies to prioritise efforts to stop the emissions.
The SSDC Managing Director, Ms. Usoro Akpabio, represented by the Executive Director of Social Services and Human Capital Development, Preye Aganaba, assured residents of the Commission’s continued support.
She said the crisis had damaged property, disrupted businesses, threatened food security and displaced families.
Akpabio disclosed that the Commission provided 86 categories of relief items, including rice, beans, garri, mattresses, mosquito nets, sanitary pads and baby diapers.
Meanwhile, NEMA Head for Bayelsa and Rivers States, Dr. Chidi Ogundu, disclosed that an Environmental Impact Assessment had revealed significant adverse effects on the community.
He said NEMA had also begun efforts to address residents’ potable water challenges, particularly the contamination of existing water sources.
The relief materials were formally handed over to the community through NEMA.
