‘Exceptionally severe’ oil well eruption in Niger raises fears for threatened desert wildlife

An oil well in southern Niger has been spewing crude oil and gas into the air since Sept. 25, damaging nearby installations and raising concerns about the potential impact on wildlife. Authorities reported the situation was still not fully under control four weeks later. “An environmental incident of exceptional severity occurred at the Goumeri W8 oil well,” Abdoulkarim Mohamed Ali, general secretary of Niger’s Ministry of Petroleum, said in a statement broadcast on Oct. 12. The disaster was “characterized by the ejection of large quantities of crude oil and gas to heights of more than 10 meters,” or 33 feet. As the statement was read on state TV, striking images showed crude oil erupting from the well like a geyser and spilling across the site. According to Ali, the situation was still “not fully under control” and could even get worse. “The platform, shared with the Goumeri W3 and W4 oil wells, has sustained significant damage, also compromising the integrity of these two neighboring installations,” the statement added. Initial findings ruled out the possibility of a criminal or terrorist act, though the cause of the eruption remains unknown, the statement said. A field mission including the petroleum minister and the environment minister was deployed on Oct. 14 to assess the situation. The team was able to meet the engineers working on the disaster, as well as a team sent by the Algerian government to assist. The Goumeri W8, W3 and W4 wells are part of the Agadem oil block, operated…This article was originally published on Mongabay