The Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North (RAIPON) and the Project Office for the Development of the Arctic will set up a commission to assess the impact the diesel fuel spill in Norilsk has had on the way of life of indigenous peoples. The assessment will last about two months.

According to the Project Office's press service, the commission is to perform an ethnological impact assessment at the accident site on the Taimyr Peninsula where 21,000 tons of diesel fuel spilled out from Thermal Power Plant No. 3, owned by NTEK of the Norilsk Nickel Group. The fuel seeped into the soil and rivers, with the total area polluted reaching 180,000 sq m.

Experts will establish how the spill could affect the lifestyle and traditional trades of the indigenous and small-numbered peoples of the Arctic. They will study the current and future anthropogenic impact on hunting, fishing, reindeer breeding and cultural traditions. Scientists will also evaluate the environmental consequences of the fuel spill and provide their opinion on compensatory measures.

"The commission's working group will arrive in Norilsk as early as on June 25. They will meet with community representatives, begin taking samples and hold meetings with the management of the Norilsk Nickel polar branch and the administration of the Taymyrsky Dolgano-Nenetsky Municipal District," reads the Project Office's statement.