Until recently, Port Harcourt was known as the "garden city of Nigeria" because of its neatness and the overwhelming presence of vegetation and flowers all over the metropolis. But today, the presence of piles of refuse dotting the entire city may have turned Port Harcourt rather to a "garbage city". Indiscriminate dumping of wastes -industrial, commercial and householdsuch as food waste, paper, polyethene, textiles, scrap metals, glasses, wood, plastic, etc. at street corners and gutters, is still very common. The situation is so bad that traffic flow is obstructed, while there is likelihood that leachates from such dumps, after mixing with rain water, have the potential to contaminate drinking water. The basic solid waste management processes of collection, transport, segregation and final disposal appear to be very inefficient. This research carefully assessed the present system of solid waste management in Port Harcourt, with the aim of identifying the main bottlenecks to its efficiency and the way forward. The subject matter of solid waste management is the main object of discussion throughout this article.

This paper examined the relationship between human exposure to toxicological factors in the environment arising from gas flares and the development of various human health related conditions. The impact of environmental factors was investigated at four stations set up concentrically around Agbada II flow station, for a period of nine months

This paper examines the changes in land use and economic activities between 1986 and 2005 in a residential development in Port Harcourt that was originally developed for senior civil servants and military personnel. It shows how land ownership has changed and also the rapid expansion of commercial activities within what was exclusively a residential development. With no enforcement of land use regulations, this has led to a decline in the quality of life for the residents.KEYWORDS land use conversion / land use management / land use regulations / Nigeria / Port Harcourt

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PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to review oil spill incidents and pipeline vandalism in Nigeria between 1970 and 2006 and to examine the potential danger posed by such activities to public health.Design/methodology/approachThe approach adopted to achieve this objective is questionnaire administration on health impacts. Also secondary sources of information come from textbooks and journals. However, data from natural resources exploitation and hazards are collated and analyzed.FindingsIt is evident that, out of the 1,000 reported oil spill incidents analyzed, some hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil are lost to the environment. Graphic pictures of typical oil spill through acts of vandalism in Ishiagu, Ebonyi State, Nigeria are analyzed and reviewed. The run‐off and sedimentation of this pollutant in fresh water systems severely degrade water quality, affect fish spawning and aquatic invertebrates' habitats, thus lowering food web productivity. Incidentally the spill‐over effect on humans who directly depend on fish and other aquatic food as an alternative protein supplement is quite inundating. The effects on humans include irritation, dermatitis, cancer, occurrence of abortion, organ failure and genetic disorder.Research limitations/implicationsThe limitations encountered in this research work include logistics problems, poor response and uncooperative attitude from respondents, transportation difficulties and restricted access to impacted sites by law enforcement agents and funding. Therefore subsequent researchers in this area should be equipped adequately with both the necessary protective gadgets and increased funding to meet challenges of this nature.Practical implicationsThe practical implication of the study is that oil spill incidents should be documented and reported early enough for prompt attention by the regulatory agencies in order to protect and enhance the quality of the environment.Originality/valueThe value of the paper is that oil spill and pipeline vandalization devastate the environment, pollute dependable potable water sources such as streams and rivers and should be seen as a serious threat and negation to the attainment of the United Nations Millennium development goals.