Environmental Pollution of the Niger Delta: Challenges and Solutions (2)

Oil spillage

As oil production continues to take toll of the Niger Delta, Professor Hilary Inyang, Duke Energy Distinguished Professor of Environmental Engineering and Science, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, NC, USA; Technical Judge, United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington DC, USA; and Board Chair, African Continental University System Initiative, here examines the challenges and solutions to the Niger Delta environmental problems

The Niger Delta Region (NDR) comprises nine states in the southern most extremity of Nigeria and covers an area of about 112,110 square kilometres, representing 12% of Nigeria’s land area. The regional population levels projected for the region are 33.616 million for 2010, 39.157 million for 2015, and 45.715 million for 2020. The average population density is about 255 people per square kilometre. The rural-to-urban migration rate of people was 5.3% annually, per information in Nigeria’s national planning (NEEDS) documents in 2004. There are about1 3,329 settlements in the Niger Delta, about 90% of which have population below 20,000 people. The NDR holds about 20% of Nigeria’s population. About 40 different ethnic groups, the major groups of which are shown in Figure 2, inhabit the region and speak about 250 languages and dialects.

These socioeconomic factors have significant implications on natural resource use and ecology of the Niger Delta Region. There are five distinct ecological zones in the region as illustrated in Figure 3: the Mangrove Forest and Coastal Vegetation Zone; the Fresh Water Swamp Forest Zone; the Lowland Rain Forest Zone; the Derived Savannah Zone; and the Montane Zone. Due to its location in the equatorial area, the wet season has a duration of 7-8 months, typically from March to October, each year. The mean annual rainfall ranges from about 1500mm in some areas of Edo and Ondo States, to 4000mm in the coastal cities of Rivers and Bayelsa States. The region has high temperature throughout the year, with mean monthly maximum temperature in the range of 28-31 degrees centigrade and minimum levels in the range of 21-23 degrees centigrade. The hottest months are generally February, March and April, while the coolest months are June, July, August and September. This pattern is modulated by altitude as in the northern parts of Cross River State. The factors outlined above combine to make the NDR, one of the most sensitive ecological zones of the world. It has more than 70 registered forest reserves and several limited- access nature reserves. About 7 of Nigeria’s 40 wildlife reserves are located in the NDR. Close to the Atlantic Ocean and surrounding the mouth of the River Niger, is an extensive system of creeks, swamps, floodplains, lakes and tributaries that extend inland, up to about 140 km in some areas.

A 1998 survey of the biodiversity of the Niger Delta within the Niger Delta Environmental Survey (NDES), indicated the existence of the diversity of plant and animal species listed in Table 2. The mangrove of the Niger Delta covers about 9,723 square kilometres but is declining in area due to global climate change, although it still remains as the largest in Africa and third largest in the world. It is the habitat and nursery for numerous fish species such as fin-fish and shellfish which are harvested commercially. The inland rivers, lakes and creeks are fishing grounds, as well as sources of water for various domestic and commercial activities in the region. Often, many residual groves of vegetation are used for agropastoration, along with small patches of land for subsistence farming. The natural environment of the Niger Delta is threatened by many civil and industrial activities, including waste dumping, contaminant deposition. deforestation and oil spillages derived from more than 50 years of oil operations.

Environmental stewardship, which must begin with comprehensive studies and geospatial cataloguing of environmental factors of the region, are necessary for immediate and strategic planning and implementation of economic development of the region. Any mention of environmental pollution of the Niger Delta generally attracts attention to oil pollution in the region. Although the pollution of surface water, groundwater, soil, sediments and air by oil spillages is a major fraction of the region’s pollution, there are many other environmental stressors in the region as depicted in Figure 4. Essentially, it is important to note the following factors as regards Nige- Delta pollution so that cost-effective measures can be developed to address it.

Niger Delta residents are mostly aware of the point sources of contaminants such as oil spill sites, waste dump sites and polluted fish ponds but are unaware of nonpoint source contamination. For the latter, there is the issue of source attribution which requires technical analyses. Examples of non-point source pollution are dust spreading and pollutant-bearing runoff water from farms on which fertilizers have been applied. In this summary, I have elected to focus on the pollutant sources so that responsible authorities can eliminate or reduce their ravages, although nonpoint sources are also treated. Figure 5 shows the interrelationship among the development and operation of civil and industrial systems, such as those that either exist currently in the Niger Delta or are targeted by development plans, and ecological/human health impacts. It is worthy of note that for some of the human exposures to contaminants that exist in the Niger Delta, non-manifestation of health impacts at this time does not mean that chronic health impacts may not result later.

Some diseases such as leukemia and other forms of cancer can develop after about 10years of initial exposure to contaminants, exemplified by benzene and other carcinogens that are found in oil and oil products. Each of the major environmental problems of the Niger Delta is described briefly below, with illustrations as necessary. Oil spillages constitute a major environmental problem in the Niger Delta. Despite the establishment of the National Oil Detection and Response Agency. (NOSDRA) to provide the technical capacity to detect and mitigate oil spillage. NOSDRA has not been provided with the technical resources to execute its mandate. More than 1,500 communities in the Niger Delta host oil and gas facilities. There are more than 5,500 oil wells, 260 flow stations and 7,000km of pipelines in the region. On land, the vulnerable areas surround the oil and gas facilities shown in Figure 6. Some of the facilities (like pipelines) have been in operation for more than 30years and frequently succumb to corrosion and other geoenvironmental stresses. Figure 7 shows the distribution of oil exploration and appraisal fields in the Niger Delta as at 2004. Subsequently, the oil blocks Land-sea interaction in the coastal areas of the Niger Delta implies that oil spillages in the coastal marine areas have impacts on adjacent land.

TO BE CONTINUED