By Adedapo Adesanya
The Rivers State Government has disclosed that it is considering the demolition of makeshift buildings and shanties where petroleum products tank farms are located in the state.
Over the weekend, a heavy fire broke out in Abonnema Wharf in Port Harcourt, an area with a heavy concentration of tank farms.
Properties and goods worth millions of Naira were destroyed following the fire outbreak near a tank farm at Abonema Wharf, with flames of the heavy inferno spreading faster to buildings around the area.
Although the actual cause of the fire was unknown, due to the ongoing scarcity of premium motor spirit (PMS), petrol trucks were parked indiscriminately on both sides of the road.
Making the position of the government known, the State Commissioner for Energy and Natural Resources, Mr Peter Medee, said the Abonnema Wharf fire outbreak was caused by the illegal storage of petroleum products.
Mr Medee explained that residents around the area used shanties and makeshift buildings to store petroleum products and other inflammable substances which ignite the fire at the slightest mistake.
He pointedly said that the state government was considering the demolition of the makeshift buildings, noting that other unapproved places will be demolished to forestall the reoccurrence of the outbreak.
