Effect of Gas Flaring on Soil and Cassava Productivity in Ebedei, Ukwuani Local Government Area, Delta State, Nigeria

Abstract

The threat to human, fauna and flora life posed by pollution due to gas flaring cannot be over-emphasized. Gas flared often resulted in some environmental degradation, one of such influence is soil pollution and poor crop yield. This study examined the effect of gas flaring on soil and cassava productivity in Ebedei, Ukwuani LGA, Delta State. For the purpose of data collection, five (5) experimental sites were systematically selected around the flare site in Ebedei and a control site at Obiaruku. Soil samples were collected at surface 0 -10 cm and 10 -20 cm at distance of 50 m, 100 m, 150 m, 200 m and 250 m apart respectively away from the bund wall of the flare. The data generated were analysed using multiple regression and paired t-test analyses. The study revealed that the soils found in Ebedei have high composition of sand and soil temperature and are acidic. The soil electrical conductivity, Phosphorous, Nitrogen, Potassium and Sodium were very low. More so, the yield of cassava increases with a corresponding increase in distances from flare site. The first hypothesis revealed that there is significant variation in soil nutrients as distance increases from gas flare sites. This is evident from F value of 234.99 which is greater than the critical table value of 4.39. Furthermore, as flare distance increases, so also the organic carbon, electrical conductivity and Nitrogen increase. The second hypothesis revealed that there is a significant difference in cassava yield at gas-flared area and the non-flared area which is evident at t (6.032) is greater than the critical table (1.895) at P < 0.05. It is therefore recommended that Government and FEPA should enact environmental Policies and revisit and review existing environmental and oil drilling laws in Nigeria with a view of updating them to international and environmental friendly standards.

Environmental Implication of Thermal Radiation on the Physiochemical Properties of Soil around Gas Flare Sites in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria

“…The radiation profile decreased with increasing distance from the flare. This agrees with the work of [2] that the radiation intensity increased with increasing distance to the flare. This increase in radiation intensity and environmental temperature are implicated for the poor performance of crops around the flare site.…”

“…According to [2] that radiation intensity increased with decreasing distance to the flare. The study also showed that as the distance is decreasing towards the flare site, pH is also decreasing from 5.50 (at 1000 -2000 m) to 4.94 (at 0-150 m).…”

“…Accordingly, a closer look at the geographical spread of oil fields would show that the flares are located principally in the South-Eastern axis of the Nigeria Delta Zone (mainly Delta / Bayelsa / Rivers / Imo / Akwa Ibom States), where also there is a preponderance of large chemical process plants, such as existing four oil refineries( 2 -Government and 2 -Private Investors) , steel plant, fertilizer complex, petrochemical plant as well as the Nigeria liquefied natural gas,( NLNG) with train 7 (seven) currently undergoing Detailed Engineering Design and Construction. The resulting harmful environmental heat-related effects from such haphazard field operations are obvious; "The surrounding soil get scorched, vegetation and farmlands look patched, villagers complained of an illness referred to as "internal heat" which may not be unrelated to the cumulative effect of long exposure to radiant heat from gas flares [2]. This land use types poses an environmental threat to the physiochemical properties of soil around the flare sites.…”

Air Quality Assessment around a Horizontal Gas Flaring Site in Izombe, Southeastern Nigeria

“…It involves the controlled burning of the gas, as a common practice in oil/gas exploration, production and processing operations (EPA, 2014), especially in Nigeria (Oni & Oyewo, 2011). Therefore, gas flaring is the wasteful burning of natural gas during crude oil processing by the oil industry (Banerjee, 1995;Atuma & Ojeh, 2013;Abdulkadir et al, 2013). This gas is burnt off either through ground (horizontal) flare (Plate 1) or vertical (elevated) (Plate 2) (Nnimmo, 2008).…”

Leaf epidermal changes in three common crop plants found in a gas-flared community in Oben Village, Edo State Nigeria

“…Gas faring, as a common practice in the oil production process, is an incomplete combustion of surplus hydrocarbon congregated in an oil or gas production gas flare site (Atuma and Ojeh, 2013). Although the international community, in trying to combat the menace of global warming and other attendant effects of air pollution, proposes a complete cessation of flaring activities, there are still areas around the world were significant gas flaring activities are still being observed.…”