Environmental Degradation of the Niger Delta

The root cause of degradation to the Nigerian Delta relates to the petroleum industry.
The Nigerian Delta is located in the West African Republic of Ghana. The delta covers 20,000 km
within wetlands of 70,000 km formed by sediment deposition. The floodplain makes up 7.5% of
Nigerias total land mass. The delta is home to 20 million people and 40 different ethnic groups.
The delta is the largest wetland and maintains the third largest drainage basin in Africa. This
eco-system contains one of the highest concentrations of biodiversity on the planet. The region
could experience a loss of 40% of its inhabitable terrain in the next thirty years as a result of the
carelessness of the oil industry.
Why is this occurring?
Shell Petroleum and Development Company admits that most of the facilities were constructed
between the 1960s and early 1980s to the then prevailing standards. Shell claims these facilities
would not be constructed that way today. Oil spills are a common event in Nigeria. Half of all
spills that occur are due to pipeline and tanker accidents (50%) other causes include sabotage
(28%) and oil production operations (21%) with 1% of the spills occurring because of
inadequate or non- functioning equipment.
The Department of Petroleum Resources estimated 1.89 million barrels of petroleum were
spilled into the Niger Delta between 1976 and 1995. A UNDP report states that there have been
a total of 6,817 spills between 1976 and 2001, which account for a loss of three million barrels
of oil, of which more than 70% was not recovered. One source calculates that the total amount
of petroleum in barrels spilled between 1960 and 1997 is 100 million barrels.
In onshore areas the pipelines and flow-lines are constructed above ground. These pipelines are
old and susceptible to corrosion and sabotage by the local people. The sabotage and theft
through oil siphoning has become a major issue in the Niger River Delta states as well,
contributing to further environmental degradation. Oil siphoning has become big business, with
the stolen oil making its way to the black market. In late December more than 200 people were
killed, due to the increased selling of black market oil. Nigerian regulations of the oil industry
are weak and rarely enforced allowing the industry to self- regulate.
An estimated 5 to 10% of the Nigerian mangrove ecosystems have been wiped out by the oil
spills. The rainforest which previously occupied some 7,400 km of land has disappeared too.
Because of the careless operations of the oil companies, crops and aquacultures have been
destroyed through the contamination of ground water and soils. The loss of mangrove forests is
not only degrading life for plants and animals, but for humans as well. Mangroves also provide
essential habitat for rare and endangered species like the manatee and pigmy hippopotamus.
People in the affected areas complain about health issues such as breathing problems and skin
lesions, access to food, clean drinking water, and the ability to work. The clash among
governing bodies, oil corporations, and the people of Nigeria has resulted in sabotage to
petroleum pipelines, further exacerbating the threat to the mangrove forests.
Another component related to petroleum production is gas flaring. Flaring is done as it is costly
to separate commercially viable associated gas from the oil. Gas flaring releases toxic
components into the atmosphere and contributes to climate change. Gas flaring releases large
amounts of methane, which has a high global warming potential. Humans exposed to these
substances suffer a variety of diseases.
What is being done to handle this environmental problem?
In November 2005 a judgment by the Federal High Court of Nigeria ordered that gas flaring
must stop in the Niger Delta community, as it violates guaranteed constitutional rights to life
and dignity. As of May 2011, Shell has not ceased gas flaring in Nigeria. The use of biological
remediation has been implemented in certain areas of the delta. Bioremediation involves
biological components in the cleanup of a specific site. Two species of plants have been utilized
to clean up the oil spills. The first plant used is the Hibiscus cannabinus, indigenous to West
Africa. This plant can absorb the oil and the plant material is then removed. The second plant is
known as Vetiveria zizaniodes, a perennial grass species. This plant has fibrous root network
that can both tolerate chemicals in the soil and can also detoxify soils through time.
Nongovernment organizations will keep fighting the damaging effects of oil, but will not win the
battle alone.