pollution

Leaking Oil Wellhead Catches Fire

Brian — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 20:00:41 +0000

In the Ogoniland village of Kpean, an oil wellhead that had been leaking for weeks has turned into a raging inferno. The local youths keep watch, waiting for Shell to come and put the fire out. This is an environmental disaster for the local people, as it effects their crops, their water and air.

Fishing in Polluted Waters

admin — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 19:07:34 +0000

With the Mobil Exxon Gas Plant across the water, fishermen arrive to drop their catches of bonga fish, gold fish, silver fish and crayfish. Due to pollution caused by the oil companies, the catches have decreased in quality and quantity. This has caused major problems of unemployment for the local young men. The local women haggle over the size and price of their purchases along the waterside.

This scene is in the fishing village of Finima, which is a newly relocated community caused by the rapid growth of the Nigerian Liquified Natural Gas plant on Bonny Island.

The Mangrove Swamps of the Niger Delta

Brian — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 18:56:02 +0000

Aerials of the Niger Delta over mangrove swamps and the riverine creeks of Rivers State, which make up the majority of the delta, Africa's second largest. Photo by Ed Kashi (6/12/2006).

Views of the Trans-Amadi Slaughter

Brian — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 18:35:12 +0000

Views of the Trans-Amadi Slaughter, the main abbatoir of Port Harcourt. The conditions are very bad, with a lack of infrustructure and hygiene. The animals are killed in the open, their blood spilt into the waterways below and their skin is burned by the flames of old tires, which is what causes the thick clouds of black smoke that hang over the scene. Photo by Ed Kashi (5/30/2006).

Playing Soccer Near Mobil Oil

Brian — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:49:26 +0000

In a small village on Bonny Island, a group of children play soccer on a dirt field across from a Mobil Oil tank farm. The living conditions for the local community are very basic, with no running water and only sporadic electricity. The riches from oil and natural gas production are some of the highest in the world, yet the local communities live in grinding poverty. Photo by Ed Kashi (7/30/2004).

Outhouses and Children

Brian — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:42:41 +0000

In Bonny town uncontrolled growth due to oil and gas development, has caused environmental chaos and degradation. Pictured here are outhouses on stilts, where the same waters are used for defecating, bathing, fishing and garbage. Photo by Ed Kashi (7/30/2004).

Baking Over a Gas Flare

Brian — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:36:22 +0000

In the oil town of Afiesere, in Warri North district of the Niger Delta, local Urohobo people bake "krokpo-garri", or tapioca in the heat of a gas flare. Since 1961, when Shell Petroleum Development Company first opened this flow station, residents of the local community have worked in this way. Life span is short for these people, as pollutants from the flare cause serious health problems. Photo by Ed Kashi (7/28/2004).

Oil Spill

Brian — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:26:27 +0000

An oil spill from an abandoned Shell Petroleum Development Company well in Oloibiri, Niger Delta. Wellhead 14 was closed in 1977 but has been leaking for years, and in June of 2004 it finally released an oil spill of over 20,000 barrels of crude. Workers subcontracted by Shell Oil Company clean it up. Photo by Ed Kashi (7/18/2004).

Pipelines of the Niger Delta

Brian — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 21:42:07 +0000

Living conditions in Okrika, in the Niger Delta, with evidence of oil leaks and oil fires along the pipelines that run to the coast terminal managed by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC). Photo by Ed Kashi (7/17/2004).

Petroleum, Pollution and Poverty in the Niger Delta

Brian — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 04:00:00 +0000

This report focuses on the impact of pollution and environmental damage caused by the oil industry on the human rights of those living in the Niger Delta. It examines who is responsible for this situation in a context where multinational oil companies have been operating for decades. It highlights how companies take advantage of the weak regulatory systems that characterize many poor countries, and how the poorest people are often the most vulnerable to exploitation.

http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/news/oil-industry-has-brought-poverty-and-pollution-to-niger-delta-20090630

Publication Date:

Tuesday, June 30, 2009