Oil giant Shell and the Nigerian government have done little to clean up pollution in the Niger Delta region, Amnesty International and other environmental groups say in a report published on Monday.

Oil production has contaminated the drinking water of at least 10 communities in the Ogoniland area, but neither the Nigerian government nor Royal Dutch Shell’s Nigeria subsidiary have taken effective clean-up measures, the report says.

Recommendations

In 2011, the UN’s environmental programme (UNEP) said that neither party had done enough to restore the polluted area and came with recommendations. These have not been implemented in the three years since that report, the new report says.

Shell stopped oil production in Ogoniland in 1993 but did not decommission its equipment, leaving it open to sabotage and corrosion.

Sabotage

In a reaction to the report, Shell told broadcaster Nos that it recognises there is a problem but not that no progress has been made. ‘The company has invested in the region, but sabotage and theft mean we are fighting a losing battle.’ a spokesman said.

Shell is facing a lawsuit in the US brought by fishermen in the Niger Delta who argue the company is not doing enough to maintain and protect its pipelines from sabotage by oil thieves.