CLEAN IT UP

Every year there are hundreds of oil spills in the Niger Delta, caused by old and poorly maintained pipelines or criminal activity such as oil theft. These spills have a devastating impact on the fields, forests and fisheries that the majority of the people in the region depend on for their food and livelihoods. Oil spills also contaminate drinking water and expose people to serious health risks.

Preventing oil spills must be a priority, but once they occur, swift and effective clean-up and rehabilitation of pollution and environmental damage is critical to the protection of human rights. If pollution and environmental damage persist, then so, frequently, does the associated violation of human rights, driving people deeper into poverty through long-term damage to livelihoods and health.

This report examines the adequacy and effectiveness of oil spill clean-up by the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria. It is part of ongoing work by Amnesty International and the Centre for the Environment, Human Rights and Development (CEHRD) to expose and challenge the human rights impacts of oil pollution in the Niger Delta.

You can download the report through the link below: