Niger Delta Human Development Report - UNDP Nigeria - United ...

A canal constructed by
an oil company in
Awoye, Ondo State,
caused saltwater
intrusion and the loss of
more than 20 hectares of
land.
Extraction of large
quantities of oil and gas
is continuing to cause
land subsidence.
An oil spill leading to depletion of forest resources
land subsidence have worsened erosion.
Apart from the riverbank erosion
mentioned earlier, coastal erosion is on the
increase. This is partly the result of rising
sea levels and strong tidal wave currents.
But oil and gas activities have also
contributed to the increasing menace of
erosion through the construction of canals,
shore-crossing pipelines, jetties and moles.
In Ondo State, for instance, one oil
operator constructed a canal in the Awoye
area to improve its activities, but because
of this disturbance and the ensuing
saltwater intrusion, more than 20 hectares
of land have been lost. Another oil
operator constructed a pipeline from its
facility in Delta State to the coast, but the
ecological disturbance and ensuing saltwater
intrusion have caused serious coastal
erosion.
Effluent and waste from oil operations:
Like most industrial enterprises in Nigeria,
the oil companies lack appropriate waste
treatment facilities, and there are no proper
landfills. Consequently, the wastes generated
by the oil operators are discharged onto
land, into mangrove and freshwater
swamps, and into the sea. Untreated wastes
degrade water quality and the ecology of
the receiving environment, and harm
human health.
Other Sources of Environmental
Problems:
Oil and gas operations are not the only
sources of industrial environmental
problems in the Niger Delta. There are
numerous other establishments that
demand careful consideration.
Large-scale industrial enterprises include
the Aladja Steel mills, the National Fertiliser
Company of Nigeria at Onne, and the
African Timber and Plywood factory at
Sapele. In addition, there are breweries and
paint factories in Delta and Rivers states;
glass factories in Ondo and Delta states;
cement and asbestos factories in Delta, Edo
and Rivers states; and rubber and palm oilprocessing
factories in Delta and Edo states.
There are multiple sawmills and establishments
to process food and distil gin.
While some of the wastes generated by
these companies are biodegradable, many
are not. Some, like asbestos, constitute
serious risks to human health. Air pollution
from cement and asbestos factories causes
lung disease. Heavy metal pollution and
hazardous chemicals from steel, fertilizer
and brewery operations are of great
concern. Quarrying associated with some
industries, including cement and glass
manufacturing, destroys the land and its
vegetation. The devastating impact of
sawmills on forests and biodiversity is all
too obvious.
SOCIAL IMPACTS
In the on-going debates about the
NigerDelta region, significant emphasis has
been placed on the devastation of the
environment and ecological balance by oil
and gas exploitation, as well as by other
industrial activities. People in the region
believe strongly that the environmental
predicament contributes to social and
economic deprivation, further complicating
the development situation. The issues at
stake include rapid and uncontrolled
urbanization, occupational changes, the loss
of fishing grounds, the disappearance of
livelihoods and land shortages, among
80 NIGER DELTA HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT