Oil & Gas

The latest video from Sruwaddacon Bay in Mayo where Shell are boring the final stages of the controversial gas pipeline shows sink holes opening up in the bay. These dangerous fissures are a hazard to locals and tourists who walk the bay at low tide, yet neither Shell nor Mayo County Council have taken any remedial action. It has been left to local residents to erect warning signs to prevent an accident from happening. The video below featuring Terence Conway, the local Shell to Sea spokesman, shows the extent of the damage.

That such damage is beginning to occur even before a drop of oil or gas has arrived is an ominous sign. A recent UNEP report found that the pollution levels left behind in the wake of Shell's activities in Ogoniland in Nigeria have left local people drinking from wells with over 500 times the recommended level of Benzene, a known carcinogen. This lack of care and concern for the environment and the health and welfare of local people seems to be shared by the government. Answering a question put to him about the sink holes in Sruwaddacon Bay Minister Rabitte admitted that the issue had him "nodding off".