By Samuel Oyadongha

Yenagoa—Environmental Rights Action, ERA/Friends of the Earth Nigeria, FoEN, has called on Bayelsa State Government to make public the Environmental Impact Assessment report for the ongoing Igbogene road by-pass in Yenagoa, the state capital.

It also wants the government to explain whether the current expansion of a section of the road was originally contained in the EIA.

The group’s demand is coming on the heels of last Friday’s environmental incident caused by erosion and mudslide from the road project which forced some residents along the road to relocate from their homes following a downpour in the state capital.

In a statement  in Yenagoa by its Bayelsa Head, Alagoa Morris, ERA stressed the need for a comprehensive environmental impact assessment on road construction across the state due to its peculiar topography.

The group said: “Though the state government  had compensated some property owners and went ahead to demolish those structures before starting the road project, there ought to be space created between existing property not paid for and such a major dualised road. If private individuals are making such mistakes, it was least expected from the state government.

“As far as this section of the road is concerned, there are questions to be answered, especially whether government should construct a major road so close to private property and whether there was an Environmental Impact Assessment to that effect before the commencement of the road project. “

Lamenting the damage caused to some structures in the area,  Morris said: “There is need to redesign that section of the road. A situation where only less than five metres is allowed between such major roads and houses is unacceptable.

“The Bayelsa State Ministry of Works and Infrastructure and the construction firm should take full responsibility for whatever damages that must have occurred as a direct result of the on-going construction work, especially as the property owners had earlier expressed genuine concern.”