Meanwhile, British newspaper The Guardian reports that Shell will be forced to pay a fine for hundreds of million US dollars by taking accountability over the massive oil spills in the Bodo area in Ogoniland. Leigh Day’s law firm, from London, England, filed an action against Shell on behalf of the Bodo communities.

Oil pollution is widespread in Ogoniland and most people have been exposed to chronic pollution all their lives, says the UNEP report published on August 4. Hydrocarbon pollution, seriously hazardous to health, has reached groundwater at 41 sites and benzene, a known carcinogen, has been found in drinking water at a level 900 times above World Health Organization standards.

The report, carried out by 50 international experts, took place over a two year period and examined more than 200 locations in Ogoniland, reviewed more than 5,000 medical records and engaged over 23,000 people at local community meetings.

The report confirms that Shell has not only failed to meet the environmental guidelines and standards for petroleum industries in Nigeria (EGASPIN) but also its own standards.

The UNEP report also finds that fisheries have been destroyed and that wetlands around Ogoniland are highly degraded.

The United Nations agency made some monitoring and compensation recommendations. For example, it provides the creation of an Environmental Restoration Fund for Ogoniland with an initial amount of 1 billion dollars, which should be paid by Shell and the Nigerian government. The cleaning up of the region might take from 25 to 30 years.

Friends of the Earth International welcomed UNEP’s report in a press release issued August 4, about the crisis in Ogoniland and Shell’s accountability. The environmental federation has been reporting the environmental and social damage in Niger Delta for years. In fact, Environmental Rights Action (Friends of the Earth Nigeria) and Milieudefensie (Friends of the Earth Netherlands) together with local communities have sued the giant oil corporation over its damage in the region.

Friends of the Earth International calls for Shell to be held accountable for the findings in this report. As the party responsible for the devastation it also calls on the corporation to start clean up operations immediately and halt ongoing pollution such as routine gas flares: “Shell should also apologize and compensate victims for the suffering they have caused.”

Meanwhile, the law suit filed in London over Shell’s damage to the Bodo communities sets an important precedent for the people affected by the oil corporation in several parts of the world. Many of them are requesting environmental remediation and economic compensation.

The Guardian reports that the Bodo communities claim the British-Dutch company had only offered to pay less than 6,000 US dollars, tens of rice and bean bags over the rupture of the Bodo-Bonny trans-Niger pipeline. The spills through the broken pipeline damage 20 square kilometers of crucial land for food and the livelihood of local residents. It is estimated that it would take 20 years to clean up the area.

Photo: www.foei.org