Global watchdog, Amnesty International, has released satellite images of pollution in parts of the Niger Delta.It also opened a website for monitoring human and environmental rights abuses in Nigeria.The group said in a posting on its blog on Monday that the satellite images of pollution in Bodo area of Ogoniland in Rivers State were the result of a study of the oil spills in the community in 2006, 2009 and 2011, which documented the destruction of large swathes of vegetation near Bodos riverbanks.It said the newly released satellite images visualised the devastating impact of the 2008 oil spills in Bodo, Nigeria, part of a pattern of destruction by oil companies in the region.The group said the images were accessible through its website, Eyes on Nigeria, which also contains information about human rights abuses and situations in the country. It stated that the group had previously used remote sensing to document the impact of the extractive industries on communities in the Niger Delta by monitoring harmful gas flaring in the region but had to resort to satellite imagery to provide evidence of the impact of oil spills on ecosystems and communities.It added, The images prove the poisoning of the earth by these oil spills through visual documentation of extensive and long-lasting vegetation death near Bodo, as well as widespread oil slicks in the waterways. While we have on-the-ground access to Bodo, the satellite images supplement witness testimonies and local sampling by giving a comprehensive birds eye view of the extent of the damage.The Eyes on Nigeria project is a comprehensive view of the most pressing human rights issues facing the people of Nigeria. We hope that people around the world will be inspired by what they learn through this new project to act in concert with the Nigerian people to demand basic human dignity.Eyes on Nigeria continues our work using advanced tools and technologies to document difficult or intractable human rights crises, such as those occurring in Syria, Sudan, Sri Lanka, Kyrgyzstan and other countries.The group said that it jointly issued a 50-page report with the Centre for Environment, Human Rights and Development titled, The True Tragedy: Delays and Failures in Tackling Oil Spills in the Niger Delta. In it, both groups asked Anglo-Dutch oil giant, Shell, to pay $1bn for the cleanup of the area.It regretted, however, that Shell, which recently reported profits of $7.2bn for July-September, initially offered the Bodo community just 50 bags of rice, beans, sugar and tomatoes as relief for the disaster.Some months ago, Bodo community sued Shell in British courts to claim compensation for years of environmental damage.
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