Contaminated drinking water

The people of Ogoni region in Nigeria have issued an ultimatum to the government regarding the clean up of the area. The recommendations of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report state that the major oil producing region has families drinking water from wells contaminated with benzene, a known carcinogen at levels over 900 times above World Health Organisation guidelines. The people have resisted attempts on any form of resumption of oil production until the issue of clean up is addressed.