Environmental Pollution and Refinery Operations in an Oil Producing Region of Nigeria: A Focus on Warri Petrochemical Company.

Abstract

The environment is considered as man's important asset that must be protected for his life support. Unfortunately, the situation is different where oil refinery and petrochemical plants operate. Environmental pollution in these areas poses serious threat to the ecosystem, often with undesirable effects. This paper, therefore, takes a look at the refinery operations in Warri Petrochemical Company, Nigeria (WPCN). The study adopts simple descriptive statistics in data analysis and discovers the prevalence of gas flaring, noise and vibrations as well as soil contaminations with liquid and solid waste disposal from the refinery. Policy recommendations are set forth based on research findings with a view to minimizing pollution in the study area.