THE IMPACT OF SOLID WASTES IN URBAN CENTRES IN NIGERIA
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
- Background of the study
The Solid wastes comprise all the wastes arising from human and animal activities that are normally solid, discarded as useless or unwanted. Also included are by- products of process lines or materials that may be required by law to be disposed of (Okecha 2000). Solid waste can be classified in a number of ways, on the basis of sources, environmental risks, utility and physical property.
On the basis of source, solid wastes are again classified as: Municipal Solid Wastes, Industrial Solid Wastes and Agricultural Solid Wastes. Nigeria’s major urban centres are today fighting to clear mounting heaps of solid waste from their environments. These strategic centres of beauty, peace and security are being overtaken by the messy nature of over flowing dumps unattended heaps of solid wastes emanating from household or domestic or kitchen sources, markets, shopping and business centres. Solid Waste.
City officials appear unable to combat unlawful and haphazard dumping of hazardous commercial and industrial wastes which are a clear violation of the clean Air and Health Edicts in our environmental sanitation laws, rules and regulation. Refuse generation and its likely effects on the health, quality of environment and the urban landscape have become burning national issues in Nigeria today. All stakeholders concern with the safety and the beautification of our environment have come to realise the negative consequences of uncleared solid human wastes found in residential neighbourhoods, markets, schools, and central business districts in our cities. These solid wastes have become recurring features in our urban environment. It is no longer in doubt that our cities are inundated with the challenges of uncleared solid wastes. As a result, urban residents are often confronted with the hazardous impact to their collective health and safety. The hue and cry over the health consequences of exposed and fermenting rubbish have not been quantified, although their impact is noticeable, especially in times of epidemic in congested activity nuclei civic centres, CBDS, neigbhourhoods, etc.
A United Nations Report (August 2004) noted with regret that while developing countries are improving access to clean drinking water they are falling behind on sanitation goals. At one of its summit in 2000 (Uwaegbelun 2004) revealed that The World Health Organization- (WHO 2004) and United Nations International Children Education Fund- (UNICEF 2004) joint report in August 2004 that: “about 2.4 billion people will likely face the risk of needless disease and death by the target of 2015 because of bad sanitation”. The report also noted that bad sanitation – decaying or non-existent sewage system and toilets- fuels the spread of diseases like cholera and basic illness like diarrhea, which kills a child every 21 seconds. The hardest hit by bad sanitation is rural poor and residents of slum areas in fast-growing cities, mostly in Africa and Asia . Solid Waste.
Although there is no immediate danger from the methane emitted in atmosphere from landfills, over time it could accumulate inside the landfill mass, thus increasing its concentration with attendant potential to modify the Earth’s climate. 36 percent of human caused methane releases come from our municipal solid waste landfills (USEPA, 1999). A ton of municipal solid waste land-filled produces 123 pounds of methane- a potent greenhouse gas, 20 times more effective at trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide (EA, 2008). Hulme et al. (1995) list the adverse impacts of the increased concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere to include: a threat to disrupt the diversity of habitats and the life dependent on them. In particular, our health, agriculture, water resources, forests, wildlife, and coastal areas are vulnerable to the changes that global warming may bring. It further state that a rise of only a few degrees in the Earth’s average temperature could result in more frequent and intense storms, flooding of beaches, bay marshes, and other low-lying coastal areas; more precipitation in some areas and not enough in others and wider distribution of certain infectious diseases. Such significant changes, note NEST (1991), Hulme et al. (1995) and Nicholson (2001) could damage communities and national economies as well as alter the natural world.Developing countries like Nigeria are particularly at risk because of her bad waste management system and unhealthy disposal practices. The problem of solid waste disposal is one of the most serious environmental problems facing many cities in Nigeria. Waste management plays an integral role in human activities. Various ways of managing solid waste includes disposal by either burying or burning, reduce or reusing, recycling and energy generation. Solid waste management differs in developing countries like Nigeria and in industrialized countries of the world like Germany. Several factors are responsible for the differences, a good example of these are the types of waste generated in developing countries. Contreau (1982) submitted that, in developing countries, there is much high proportion of organic and considerably less plastic waste such that the large amount of organic material makes the waste denser with greater moisture and smaller particles.
- STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Developing country like Nigeria is particularly at risk, because of her bad waste management system and unhealthy disposal practices. Global temperature will continue to increase causing further disruption to climate patterns. Ultimately, all this can only be brought under control by engaging in sustainable waste management practices, and stabilizing greenhouse gases concentrations in the atmosphere. It is on this backdrop that the researcher intends to investigate the impact of solid waste in urban centres in Nigeria.
