Waste management development to protect water resources in the Niger Delta Region

Abstract

This paper is aimed at assessing the present system of waste management development to protect the water resources in terms of methods of disposal, recycling, suitability and waste management practices in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria with a view of identifying the obstacles to its efficiency and proffer alternatives towards effective utilization of waste materials for employment and wealth generation as a means of sustainable development. A sample of five out of seven states of the region is used for the assessment. A survey method using questionnaire and personal interview of the key operators in waste management, in various states and local government area was employed. It is found that in all the states, the waste management practice was to collect, transport and dump the waste material, either in a borrow pit or in a river thereby contaminating the water resources in the Niger Delta Region in Nigeria. It is also found that in the main obstacles that militated against the management and development of waste materials were absence of legal framework; lack of political will and non availability of modern technological infrastructure and expertise. It is recommended that government or through its environmental agencies or indirectly through partnership with private sector in major towns in their state establish recycling, incinerating companies/plants with modern technological expertise to take care of waste materials. It is also recommended that state governments through its state executive councils and its legislative arms should enact laws to oversee the success of these plants in relation to conversion of waste to value added product. In conclusion, when these recommendations are considered and put in practice this will lead to a more viable economy, cleaner, healthier, and aesthetic surrounding thereby providing a sustainable waste management development that protects the water resources within the Niger Delta Region in Nigeria. © 2011 WIT Press.