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U.N. studies oil contamination in Nigeria

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Published: Dec. 1, 2009 at 11:16 AM
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PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria, Dec. 1 (UPI) -- An environmental impact assessment of the oil-rich Niger Delta region in Nigeria will outline steps needed to rehabilitate the land, the United Nations said.

The U.N. Environment Program announced the launch of an environmental study of the impact of oil contamination in the Ogoni region of the Niger Delta.

Oil exploration and production in the Niger Delta began in the 1950s. Several operators abandoned their various projects in the region in the early 1990s due to militant activity, leaving much of the oil field infrastructure idle.

This lack of activity has led to various oil spills and general environmental contamination linked to oil production, UNEP said.

UNEP said it would use the findings from the study to develop a series of recommendations on land rehabilitation.

The $9.5 million study was requested by the Nigerian government. UNEP expects the assessment to take about a year.

© 2009 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI's prior written consent.

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