Towards Effective Environmental Essay Example

can be attained.

With the aim of achieving both reduced poverty and improved social equity, as well as enhanced environmental quality, this paper addresses three questions specifically related to the current situation in our state, Delta:

1.

Delta State encounters various modern environmental issues that require effective management through identifying their root causes and exploring potential policy solutions. Adequate problem identification, which involves evaluating available data and reports, is a vital aspect of sound environmental planning. Furthermore, in today's democratic setting, the opinions of key stakeholders should be considered during decision-making processes regarding Delta State's urban development and environmental challenges.

Identifying environmental problems in Delta State involves stakeholder participation due to the political nature of the issues and lack of scientific data. According to a survey by the World Bank, the environmental problems in Delta State and other parts of Niger Delta are classified into three categories; land resource degradation, renewable resource degradation, and environmental pollution. Experts provide ratings based on selected factors such as current environmental and health significance, potential intervention benefits, and costs to rank the major environmental problems in Delta State. Table 1 shows the problems with the highest priority. Additionally, stakeholders in Delta State expressed their opinions about the key environmental issues they face through the Niger Delta Environmental Survey (NDES) workshops.

The stakeholders have identified several major environmental issues, including flooding and coastal erosion. These problems are related to deforestation, poor engineering construction, sea encroachment, dredging, canalisation, excavation, and inappropriate land use along riverbanks and within urban areas. Additionally, sedimentation and siltation are significant issues linked to the narrowing of creeks, reduction in depth, and increase in inter-tidal zones. Lastly, there is a

concern regarding water and coastline resource degradation and depletion due to factors such as industrial effluents, oil pollution, salt intrusion, industrial wastes, watershed degradation, invasion of aquatic weeds, farming, and dam construction.

Within the following text, a variety of environmental issues are discovered that result from human activity. In relation to land degradation, inappropriate waste management, quarrying, oil spillage, bush burning, urban and industrial pollution, erosion and improper agricultural practices all play a role. Similarly, oil pollution is created through spills, leakage, well blowouts and seepage. Air pollution is connected to gas flaring and gaseous emissions from various sources. Land subsidence results from oil exploration and other mining practices such as sand mining. Biodiversity depletion is linked to air pollution, population pressure, deforestation, urbanisation, over-exploration and the introduction of exotic species. Finally, noise pollution and light problems stem from gas flaring and seismic operation.

The challenges faced by communities include:

• Lack of Community Participation - due to general lack of awareness, insufficient education, illiteracy, and inadequate capacity to execute programs
• Health Problems - caused by emission of harmful gases and inadequate management of hazardous waste
• Housing Problems - related to insufficient housing and inadequate planning for housing provision, especially in urban areas
• Low Agricultural Production - caused by over-exploitation of resources, poor farm yields, widespread disincentives for farming operations, and unsustainable agricultural practices
• Socio-Economic Problems - related to unemployment, poverty, loss of farmland, inappropriate compensation measures, inadequate housing and human settlement facilities, inadequate commitment to rural development programs, and deficiencies in existing systems for program implementation, coordination and resource assessment
• Weak or Non-existent Laws and Regulations - attributed to flaws and biases in political
  

and legal frameworks governing economic and environmental policies and actions. They also stem from shortcomings in regulatory and enforcement capabilities.

The environmental issues developed by the World Bank appear to align with those identified at NDES Stakeholder Workshops. Independent research studies conducted in rural communities in Delta State during the late 1990s found that soil fertility, declining crop yield, shortened fallow, land conflicts, overhunting, unemployment, poverty, and crime were key factors affecting environmental quality in rural communities. These factors have been identified as sources of pressure on natural resources and within the communities, especially among the poor. The recent submissions of various oil producing communities to the Government of Delta State Committee regarding projects for 13% derivation revenue provide further insight into grassroots stakeholders' perceptions of their development needs.Table 2 indicates that a majority of the submissions, at over 70%, prioritize solutions to environmental issues. The identified problems include land degradation caused by oil exploration, pollution and solid waste disposal, flooding in both urban and rural communities, blockage of river transportation channels, shoreline devastation, full rehabilitation of devastated communities, housing shortage in urban and rural areas, and limited water supply. These sources highlight the key environmental challenges in Delta State.

In Delta State, it is important to identify the root causes of environmental deterioration in order to develop effective policies and interventions. This requires an understanding of the connections between causes and effects of environmental issues. The primary underlying causes of environmental problems are inequity, population growth, migration, poorly defined sectoral policies, and national political instability. In particular, policies related to industry, fisheries, forestry, transportation, urban planning, and infrastructure have a negative impact on the environment. Inequity

is a significant factor in driving these problems, as it influences production methods and wealth distribution for groups affected by environmental issues.

The Delta State has experienced various environmental problems due to industrial development and resource exploitation. The lack of sustainable environmental management strategies during natural resource extraction in the Niger Delta has worsened these issues for four decades. While the media focuses on oil extraction, flooding, erosion, and socio-economic factors also play significant roles in causing these challenges.

Oil-related activities have negative impacts which include land degradation, erosion, and flooding caused by oil spills, refinery operations, and transportation. These activities also lead to the loss of land for habitation and cultivation. Environmental issues like gas flaring, canal dredging, and oil spills are widely known in the oil industry. Despite numerous environmental laws existing to protect the environment, their implementation is insufficient. As petroleum is crucial for national development, environmental concerns often take a backseat. Nonetheless, it's important to evaluate the economic and social outcomes of natural resource exploitation and development projects to achieve sustainability goals.

Communities in Delta State are deeply concerned about national laws that affect land with oil reserves and the unequal distribution of resource ownership. The lack of proper methods for valuing resources in oil-producing communities is interrelated to the issue of resource control. Dissatisfaction with the valuation of damaged resources is one of the primary causes of frequent conflicts between local communities and oil companies. The current approach is primarily based on unjust economic factors, which is a major concern for these communities.

The valuation method used to determine monetary value for damaged resources does not take into account any future benefits that would

have been derived if the resource had not been destroyed. This method has limitations as cultural and social factors can also impact resource damage or destruction. The lack of an acceptable valuation method is a contentious issue among local communities and appropriately valuing resources may reduce wanton destruction. Optimal and equitable resource valuation in the state's communities must reflect various forms of economic value such as direct, indirect, option, existence, and bequest values. Along with other parts of the Niger Delta Region, Delta State has also suffered from negative effects resulting from upstream developments along the Niger River.

The environment and people of the Niger Delta Region are impacted by multiple upstream infrastructural developments and activities. The River Niger, which flows into the Delta, is affected by 26 existing and proposed dam projects. These projects decrease river flow due to increased evaporative loss from reservoirs and irrigation schemes. Additionally, sediments are trapped in the reservoirs rather than contributing to coastal sediment equilibrium and fertilizing the Niger Delta floodplain. The reduced flood also affects floodplain fish nursery areas in the Delta.

Industries, like sawmills and metal plating plants, including the Ajaokuta Steel Plant, discharge waste materials into the River Niger which pollutes the water affecting fisheries and human consumption. Urbanization in settlements bordering the River Niger and River Benue leads to increased generation of domestic and industrial wastes that are also discharged into the rivers. The fast development of the Federal Capital Territory (Abuja), covering an area of 8,00? km2, will surely increase the impact of urbanization on the people and economy of the Niger Delta Region. Moreover, large population concentrations are forming at points where

road bridges cross the river, such as Jebba, Lokoja/Koton Karfe, Ajaokuta, Onitsha and Patani.