FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Istanbul, March 26, 1996 (GP) - The multinational oil company Shell has, over a 25 year period, systematically polluted a huge underground reserve of potential drinking water in an aquifer near the city of Diyarbakir in Southeast Turkey where up to two million people live, Greenpeace revealed at a press conference in Istanbul.
Internal Shell documents leaked to Greenpeace and released today show that Shell has pumped 487.5 million barrels of production water contaminated with crude oil, solvents and other chemicals into the Midyat aquifer between 1973 and 1994. (1)
The documents reveal that Shell knew it was polluting the aquifer, and allocated money to reduce the problem. However, Shell later stopped the work, clawed back the money and sold the operation to the international operating company, Perenco.
One of the internal memos leaked to Greenpeace, dated December 22 1995 states: "It is unfortunate to see a change of priorities towards maximising cash before divestment by sacrificing environmental targets" (2).
Many of the Shell documents confirm that Shell managers knew that the injection into the aquifer was against both European Union and Turkish environmental regulations. (3) Indeed the Turkish Government tried to order Shell to stop the pollution.
Paul Horsman, Greenpeace International's Oil Campaigner, said in Istanbul: "The double standards and the non-existent ethics of Shell are now clear to everybody. Shell and Perenco are just keen to make money at the expense of the environment and the people of Turkey. Shell would have never injected polluted water into aquifers in Britain or The Netherlands."
After receiving all Shell documents, Greenpeace met with Shell representatives in Istanbul last January. Greenpeace asked them questions relating to the pollution of the aquifer. The Shell representatives denied that the oil content in the water was high as revealed by their documents.
The Shell documents reveal that an additional 172.3 million barrels of polluted water will be injected into the aquifer by the end of 2001 (4). In the "worst case" the aquifer could be polluted up to 14-20 km away from the well by the year 2006 and that by 2030-2060 it will be under the City of Diyarbakir with aquifer contamination for 100-300 years. The reported "likely" case is pollution apparent at 2.5-5 km from a well and contamination at Diyarbakir after 840-1000 years. (5).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CALL: Paul Horsman in Istanbul, ++90-542-2317249; or Greenpeace Mediterranean Office spokesman Fouad Hamdan in Hamburg, ++49-40-30618447; or Cindy Baxter at Greenpeace Communications in London, ++44-171-8330600.
ATTENTION EDITORS: Greenpeace has the following documents:
- Greenpeace Summary: Shell Double Standards and Ethics: Polluting an aquifer in Turkey
- Greenpeace report: The systematic pollution of aquifer
- Greenpeace report. Shell Operations in Turkey
- Greenpeace factsheet: NV Turkse Shell and Perenco
- Copies of all confidential Shell documents and memos
- Shell graph showing how Shell polluted Midyat aquifer
NOTES:
1. One barrel is 159 liters. 487.5 million barrels are 77512.5 million liters. The injected water contained among other substances crude oil, the demulsifier/solvent ShellSol-R 1:1 and chloride (Source: "Shell Midyat Adsorption Study", no date).
2. A memo from "EDR to MEP and EDM", copied to OM, Mr D. Colomb (Perenco NVTS MEP Designate) and Mr, M, Veille (Perenco NVTS OM Designate), dated 22/12/1995 and called "Subject: NVTS Azca Water Disposal Wells" addresses the current situation and uncertainties. The document reports on a meeting held on 7/12/1995 with the new owners, Perenco.
3. In a Shell memo from Lukas dated 23/1/87, said: "EEC regulations are clear: 'In EC countries it is not allowed to discharge dehydration water to shallow aquifers, to avoid any risk of contamination of sources of drinking/irrigation water'. Turkish law is less definitive... Quote: 'It is prohibited to discharge, store, transport and dispose pollutants and residues to the receiving environment in a manner harmful to the environment directly or indirectly against standards and methods stipulated in regulations. In cases where there is a probability of pollution, those concerned are obliged to prevent pollution...' Unquote. The regulations referred to have not yet been promulgated."
4. Ibid 1. 5. In a letter from NV Turkse Shell Diyarbakir to Shell headquarters in the Hague in the Netherlands, dated 9/9/1994 and signed by D. van Donk, are attached photocopies of viewgraphs. Viewgraph 1: "NVTS Historical Water Injection" shows that 487.5 million barrels of production water has been injected into the Midyat aquifer between 1973 and 1994." Viewgraph 3 speaks of the "Possible Consequences of Existing Practice of Midyat Injection".