Challenges of Urban Geoscience: The Impact of the Nigerian Oil Industry on the Environment - Case Study Example

Challenges of Urban Geoscience - The Impact of the Nigerian Oil Industry on the Environment Credentials) Today, urban geoscience faces many challenges because of the urbanization factor. The cause for the biggest challenge for urban geoscience that is arising from urbanization is human interaction [1]. The first challenge is the possibility of flooding as a result of extraction of ground water. If the extraction process of ground water beneath the cities is not controlled, it poses the danger of flooding in the city. The heterogeneous and dynamic evolution of urban soils is also a challenge. This is because the foundation and engineering properties of the soil keep changing and thus it becomes difficult for engineers to develop the urban areas. The issue of waste disposal is also a key challenge in this field. City dwellers increase their disposable waste at a rate of 3% annually. It therefore becomes a challenge for urban planners because they have to put in to consideration the annual increase of waste when developing a waste disposal strategy or site. The site also has to be of close proximity to the urban center to avoid incurring hefty transport costs. Another prevalent challenge of urban geoscience is the extraction of the earth resources within the urban center. When developing an urban center, an engineer or planner needs to consider the possibility of resources such as minerals and water being available at the site. If not carefully reviewed, these resources can only be exploited through abstraction rather than extraction because they will be necessary in boosting the economy of the center through revenue gained. When an urban center is developed, it means that the rate of using the city water and drainage systems is increased. This increased rate causes a strain on the existing underground conduits that are ageing and the results of this is increased leakage and damage to both natural and built structures underground [2]. Due to development and regeneration, the land use changes. This is a challenge because land can only be used for building purposes if this is experienced and it poses challenges to sectors such as the agricultural sector. Also, if an urban development project is initiated in an area that has been reclaimed or previously exploited for resources, the challenge of stability of the ground in the area is experienced. If for example it is a sloppy area, there is a possibility that the soil is not firm and landslides can therefore be easily triggered. Introduction: Urban geoscience, also referred to as urban geology, is the study or application of geology to urban construction and urban planning; urban cities. According to Legget and Karrow [3], geology is an important aspect of developing cities. In their book, they document the application of urban geoscience to urban construction and development using case studies from all over the world. This study also looks at the environmental impacts that are associated with the activities of urbanization such as mining. This paper will be assessing the oil industry in Nigeria, and the impacts that it has had on the environment since exploitation begun. Background of the Oil Industry in Nigeria. The oil industry in Nigeria dates back to the 1950’s. Oil was discovered in the country in 1956 at Oloibiri in the Niger delta. Before this discovery, exploration of this resource had gone on for about half a century with no results. Sole concessionaire, modern day Shell-BP, was the company that discovered the oil in the area. In 1958, Nigeria became one of the world’s leading oil producers after its first oil field came on stream producing 5,100 bpd. As the industry begun to grow, foreign companies gained interest in exploring the resource and the foreign companies were issued rights in the year 1960 to extract the resource both on shore and off-shore [4]. By 1970, the country was producing about 2 million barrels of crude oil every single day. It was during this period that the country joined the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), and established the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC). The production and export of petroleum products plays a key role in the economy of Nigeria since it accounts for over 70% of the country’s gross income [5]. Despite of the major economic advantages that the country has reaped from the oil industry, it has been experiencing major environmental hazards of oil development. The Niger Delta region has been worst hit by these hazards and they have caused substantial damage to the environment in the area. This is a result of the loose environmental regulation laws and also because of the population explosion in the oil regions. The environmental hazards can be acquainted to a number of reasons, the main one being oil spills. Oil Spills: Oils spills are the major cause of adverse environmental effects of the oil industry. Since the oil industry is established in the Niger Delta, it’s therefore obvious that the first aspect of the environment to be affected is the water. Immediately a spill occurs, diffusion takes place. The oil starts spreading through the water and is carried by the water. Through this process of diffusion, the gaseous and liquid components of the oil evaporate. The evaporated components are either dissolved in the water and oxidised, or they are taken through a bacterial change cycle and eventually sink to the bottom by gravitational action [6].The dissolved components affect the aquatic life; they have caused a depletion of the fish populations. The fishing industry is essential in the sustainability of the country because it not only provides revenue, but it also adds a nutritional value in the diets of the locals. The demand for fish over recent years has increased. This means that the fish population in the Niger Delta needs to be increased but that is not the case due to the oil pollution. Through the ingestion of the components that are dissolved from spilt oil, the fish die and therefore the rate of reproduction amongst them does not match the demand for the commodity. The Niger River’s banks are an ideal location for settlement. This is because water is readily available, food, in terms of fish, is also readily available, amongst other reasons. The people who settle along the banks of the river have the river as their source of livelihood; they drink water from the river, eat food from it, and use the water to bath. As mentioned earlier, when an oil spill occurs, water contamination takes place. The residents are therefore exposed to the harms of these toxins both externally and internally. Externally because they bath and use the water for cleaning and this means that their skin comes into contact with the contaminated water. Worse still, the residents there drink the water and eat fish that have dwelled in the already intoxicated water.One of the toxins that is contained in water that has been contaminated by oil is benzene. This toxin has a potential health risk of causing anaemia and also decreasing the number of blood platelets. It also increases the chances of the victim contracting cancer. These are some of the effects that the water has had on the residents living along the banks of River Niger. A good example of the adverse effects of oil spilling in to the water is the 1980 Texaco spill. It was reported that about 180 people died as a result of consuming the water which was contaminated by the oil that had spilt. The oil industry has also caused the loss of mangrove forests in some parts of the Niger Delta. The country used to rely on the mangrove forests as the major source of wood for the indigenous people. Today, some of the places that used to provide this wood are no longer in a state to sustain this use. This is because the supply exceeds the demand [7]. Not only is the loss of mangrove forests detrimental to the humans, it is also hazardous to the animals. The mangrove forests have been home to rare and endangered animal species like the pygmy hippopotamus. In addition, the loss of mangrove forests as a result of spillage from oil industry has had an effect on the aesthetic value of the land. The trees that were previously occupying these forests have been cut down to provide building materials for the. The forestry policy requires that for every tree that is cut down, at least two should be replanted in its place. The replanting process has been rendered ineffective by the fact that the soil has been contaminated by toxins from the spilt oil. This therefore makes the soil to be unsuitable for any plant growth until microorganisms eliminate the toxins. The extraction process of oil has natural gas as a by-product. The oil industry in Nigeria produces about 3.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas annually. 2.5 billion cubic feet of the total annual gas production is flared; burned. The flared gas is about 70% of the total gas production of the industry. Gas flaring is an environmental hazard because it releases toxins in the atmosphere that contribute to climate change. The climatic change is triggered by the increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Gas flaring in the country has been estimated to contribute about 50% of the country’s industrial emissions. The process of gas flaring has been established to releasing poisonous chemicals in the atmosphere. These chemicals have imposed serious health hazards upon the people dwelling near the extraction areas. People living in the area have reported an increase in the number of respiratory related cases such as asthma. Benzene is one of the chemicals that are emitted and it is estimated that exposure to it increases about eight new cases of cancer annually [8]. The chemicals that are emitted from the flaring have also led to the formation of acid rain. This is because the locals have been reporting corrosion in their homes and other structures in the area. The flaring has also contributed to the vegetation declination in the area. The vegetation has not only been affected by the acid rain that is as a result of flaring, but it has also clouded area with soot and the heat that is produced by the flames makes it impossible for vegetation to grow in the area adjacent to the flame. Conclusion: The effects that the oil industry in Nigeria has had on the environment can be pinned back to negligence on the part of the government and urban developers. When assessing the area for such a development project, planers need to ensure that there are no settlement areas in the land adjacent to the development cite [9]. The government also has a role to play in curbing the challenges that face urban geoscience. In this particular case, the government ought to put in place measures that regulate the spillage and control the flaring of gases [10]. References: [1] International Association For Engineering Geology And The Environment, & Culshaw, M. G. (2009). Engineering geology for tomorrows cities. London, Geological Society. [2] Annells, R. (1997). The importance of the Geosciences in holistic urban environmental planning. Available at [Accessed on November 27,2011]. [3] Legget, R.F. & Karrow, P.F. 1983. Handbook of geology in civil engineering. McGraw Hill, New York. [4] Falola, T., & Heaton, M. M. (2008). A history of Nigeria. Cambridge, UK, Cambridge University Press.pp.188-190. [5] Botchway, F. N. (2011). Natural resource investment and Africas development. Cheltenham [u.a.: Elgar. pp.37. [6] Akpofure, E.A., M.L. Efere and P. Ayawei, (2000): The Adverse Effects of Crude Oil Spills in the Niger Delta. Urhobo Historical Society. [7] Nwilo, P.C. & O.T. Badejo, (2005): Oil Spill Problems and Management in the Niger Delta. International Oil Spill Conference, Miami, Florida, USA. [8] Osuoka, A., & Roderick, P. (2005).Gas Flaring In Nigeria. Available at [Accessed on November 27, 2012]. [9] Miller, D. (2008). Integrating city planning and environmental improvement: practicable strategies for sustainable urban development. Aldershot, Ashgate. P.120. [10] Olagoke W., (1996): Niger Delta Environmental Survey: Which Way Forward?, Ultimate Water Technology & Environment. Read More