According to Amnesty International (AI), the oil pollution in the Niger Delta has deprived tens of millions of people from their most fundamental right to food, water, and health. In a thick report, AI describes the environmental degradation in the delta where about 31 million people live. The group calls it a tragedy of human rights that has fueled resentment and violence.
People who live in this region have to drink polluted water, as well as cook and wash their clothes with the dirty water. When they have a chance to catch some, these people eat fish contaminated by oil and other toxins.
Farmlands in the delta, a region as large as Scotland and one of the largest wetland systems of the planet, are destroyed by oil spills. The gas flares have also caused the air for breathing to be reeking of oil and gas.
According to AI, the residents complain of respiratory problems and skin lesions, but their complaints are not taken seriously. The organization, thus, condemns the Nigerian government and multinationals.
The poverty of the people, in contrast with the wealth generated by oil, has become one of the most absolute and disturbing proofs of how a natural resource can be transformed into evil, according to the group.
Via Amnesty International/National Geographic
