THE EFFECT OF POOR DRAINAGE SYSTEM ON HUMAN HEALTH( Rivers state as a case study)

THE EFFECT OF POOR DRAINAGE SYSTEM ON HUMAN HEALTH( Rivers state as a case study)

 

Abstract

The effect of poor drainage system on human health in Rivers State, The objective of this research is to ascertain the causes, magnitude, and effects; and to indicate directions for policymakers and urban dwellers. Topographical maps were used for data collection on the physical environment. Some physical measurements were made of the drainage channels and drainages. 2,000 inhabitants of the metropolis were randomly selected and made to respond to some questions. In addition, authorities in professionally related fields including policy makers were made to make contributions. Intermittent supplies and torrential rainfall in its seasons are usually beyond the capacities of the channels. These are compounded by inadequate planning of the physical environment, wastes dumped in drainage channels and erosion passages, and deliberate or inadvertent physical structures that block the free flow of water along the drains. Drainages are as wide as 500m and above on each side of the channels and as high as 2.00m at some times and localities. There are some advantages associated with it. The living habits of the inhabitants have to change. Physical planning efforts have to be drastic, radical, and deterministic toward sustainable drainage and erosion channels. There must be massive investment in dredging and re-dredging of the existing drainage network and channelization of the new suburbs. Drainageable zones should be re-planned, and drainage plains can be rehabilitated as parks and recreation centers.

EFFECT OF POOR DRAINAGE SYSTEM ON HUMAN HEALTH IN RIVERS STATE

 

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.0 Background of the study

The importance of living in a clean environment cannot be over-emphasized. Once an environment is free of indecent waste, its impact is usually seen in all aspects of the lives of individuals having contact with that environment. The focus of this study was to assess the effect of waste disposal practices in the Port Harcourt metropolis of Rivers State. The need for effective management of solid waste is an issue that has required public health attention in various parts of the globe. It is of utmost importance to ensure that solid waste products are properly managed to prevent the occurrence of attendant problems associated with poor drainage system management including water contamination, air contamination, increased prevalence of vector-borne diseases, infection spread, etc. Improper waste management methods have been shown to contribute to the decrease in the quality of health of a population as a result of environmental health nuisances that have arisen as a result of these poor waste management methods (Oyebode, 2013; Igbinomwanhia et al., 2014; Awajiogak, 2013). These waste products broadly called Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) which block drainage system, includes effluents arising from agricultural, industrial, construction, mining exploration, or commercial activities which could be gaseous, solid, semi-solid, or liquid in nature; garbage disposed at refuse dumps, abandoned non-functional cars/equipments and all other materials which are regarded as no longer useful. These waste products are however at certain times not properly disposed of or managed which in turn leads to the occurrence of environmental of environmental and public health challenges (Onwughara et al., 2010; Schübeler et al., 1996; Karija et al., 2013). Municipal solid waste management, however, remains a major environmental health challenge in Nigeria which has been attributed to indiscriminate roadside refuse disposal, open dumping of waste products, a massive unplanned urbanization trend and growth of the population, absence of actionable guidelines as regards refuse to dump, and refuse dumpsites, inadequacy in funding, laxity in the practice of effective waste management as well as the absence of organized waste management systems, etc (Igbinomwanhia et al., 2014; Abah and Ohimain, 2010; Agwu, 2012). An assessment of the urban waste problem in Nigeria has revealed that Nigerian cities are among the dirtiest cities in the world and that over 80% of Nigerians use waste disposal methods that are not in line with World Health Organization standards (Federal Ministry of Environment, 2002). It is noteworthy to state that the government of Nigeria on its part has played significant roles in ensuring that this menace is curbed through the enactment of regulations and legislation that ensure the practice of adequate waste management. This is however not enough on its own as the populace must also be educated on how best they can adhere to these laws as non-adherence not only leads to facing penalties from environmental health agencies but can also lead to deterioration in health as well as deaths. This is an issue that must be addressed around the clock despite the many challenges being faced by the relevant waste management authorities. Environmental health education should be put into play, strict adherence and enforcement of environmental health laws and regulations, provision of adequate waste disposal methods for the populace, timely and proper waste management by relevant authorities, recycling of waste materials, etc. are some ways by which the prevailing occurrence of poor waste management can be tackled and thus providing a more healthy environment for labor and productivity (Onwughara et al., 2010; Karija et al., 2013; Owoeye and Okojie, 2013; Kafando et al., 2013). Seeing that effective and proper waste management practice is a problem that impacts the health of individuals in Nigeria, it was necessary to carry out this study to assess the waste disposal practices in the Port Harcount metropolis of Rivers State as it provided a framework for evaluation of waste management efforts and provided areas that needed further attention to ensure achievement of effective waste disposal and management in Rivers State.The management of solid waste, perhaps, stands as the most visible environmental problem facing the capital and communities of Rivers State. The problem is growing daily as a result of increasing urbanization. The solid waste problem is visible in most parts of the communities within the Port Harcount metropolis, on the roads, within the neighborhoods, and around residential buildings. The environment of man lies at the mercy of both natural disasters and negligence on the part of man in the course of controlling the gifts of nature. The latter takes the form of dumping solid waste in an uncompromising pattern, which can cause; desert encroachment, erosion, depletion of the ozone layer, depletion of natural resources, and pollution of land, rivers, the air, and generally the environment (Aguwanba,1998). According to Egunlobi (2004), in the early times (pre-colonial days) up till the 1970s, the disposal of refuse and other waste did not pose any significant problem. The population was small and enough land was available for the assimilation of waste. The solid waste problem started with urban growth, resulting partly from a national increase in population and more importantly from immigration. Ndakara (2011) also states that the quantity of such waste depends mainly on location, activity, and number of people in the household. However, it was not until the mid-19th century, spurred by increasingly devastating cholera outbreaks and the emergence of a public health debate that the first legislation on the issue emerged. Thus the social reformer, Sir, Edwin Chadwick’s 1842 report on “The Sanitary Condition of the Labouring Population, became influential in securing the passage of the first legislation of waste clearance and disposal, in which he argues for the importance of adequate waste removal and management facilities to improve the health and wellbeing of the city’s population. (Barbalace, 2003). Early garbage removal trucks were simply open-bodied dump trucks pulled by a team of horses. They became motorized in the early part of the 20th century and the first closed-body trucks to eliminate odors with a dumping lever mechanism were introduced in the 1920s in Britain. These were soon equipped with “hopper mechanisms” where the scooper was loaded at floor level and then hoisted mechanically to deposit the waste in the truck. The Garwood Load Packer was the first truck in 1938, to incorporate a hydraulic compactor (Herbert, 2007). Mba (2003), noted that no town in Nigeria especially the urban and semi-urban centers of high population density can boast of having found a lasting solution to the problem of filth and huge piles of solid waste, rather the problem continues to assume monstrous dimensions. To urban and city dwellers, public hygiene starts and ends within their immediate surroundings and indeed the city would take care of itself. The situation has so deteriorated that today the problem of solid waste management has become one of the nation’s most serious environmental problems (Okpala, 2002). Ineffective waste management could rubbish all the resources and efforts to beautify the environment. Every year, the government of Nigeria, Rivers State inclusive spends billions of naira to roll back malaria, without focusing on some environmental factors such as poor waste management that make malaria thrive. Blocked drains provide stagnant water which facilitates the breeding of mosquitoes and other sickness-causing germs (Ogadimma, 2011).

1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

The problem of ineffective and inadequate Waste management is a major problem to our society and the world at large, this is because improper waste management and poor drainage system has led to the outspread of various diseases and health and environmental hazard.

1. The generation of toxic air and water pollutants, along with mountains of solid and hazardous wastes, is becoming an overwhelming problem in the Port Harcount Metropolis.
2. Strong possibility of a situation where failure to decide where to put waste or how to dispose of it safely will lead to the close down of some industries and result in waste being spread everywhere

• The health effects of pollution, toxic waste, and other environmental ills of modern society become a greater threat to man than diseases.

1.3 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

The main objective of this study is to examine the effectiveness of waste management as a panacea to disease prevention and a healthy environment in Rivers State. Specifically, it seeks to:

1. Examine the effectiveness of waste management in Rivers State.
2. Examine how proper waste management can prevent disease and sustain a healthy environment.
3. To ascertain how effectively managed waste disposal in Rivers state
4. To evaluate the consequences of improper waste management in Rivers State.

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTION

The following questions shall be answered in the course of this essay.

1. What are the implications of an improper poor drainage system?
2. What is the present state of drainage systems in Rivers State?

• What are the modern technologies involved in waste management and their long-term benefits?

1. What method can be used to effectively manage waste in drainages in Rivers State?

 1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

When Rivers State was created on 27 May 1967 from the still-existing Rivers State, it became apparent from inception that the fledgling state would face great challenges on its path to attaining the growth and development that autonomy had bestowed on her. The challenges of poor drainage being experienced in the State Capital City (Port Harcourt) are on the increase and at a very fast rate, upon this ills this research finds its significance. As Nigeria aims to be amongst the top 20 economies in the world by 2020, it is imperative that issues of waste management be tackled from the state level, and addressed from city to city.

1.6 SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

The study covers the effect of poor drainage systems on human health in Rivers State. However, the study has some limitation which ranges from the:

Finance: finance is a major limitation of the study as resources allocated to the study are limited

Time: time is a major constrain to the research as time allocated to the study is very limited

Research material: The availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study

1.7 DEFINITION OF TERMS

Waste and waste are unwanted or unusable materials. Waste is any substance discarded after primary use, or it is worthless, defective, and of no use. Examples include municipal solid waste (household trash/refuse), hazardous waste, wastewater (such as sewage, which contains bodily wastes (feces and urine) and surface runoff), radioactive waste, and others.

WASTE MANAGEMENT

The collection, transportation, and disposal of garbage, sewage, and other waste products. Waste management encompasses the management of all processes and resources for the proper handling of waste materials, from maintenance of waste transport trucks and dumping facilities to compliance with health codes and environmental regulations.

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

This is the combination of all actions taken to reduce the impact of human activities on the environment; such actions are specifically geared towards sustainable development. Sustainable development can be described as a form of development that can meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

ENVIRONMENT

The word “environment” is of French origin “environner”, meaning to encircle or surround. (Webster, 2015) defined the environment as the conditions that surround someone or something: the conditions and influences that affect the growth, health, progress, etc., of someone or something. These are the very things we depend upon daily e.g. water, food, market, industries, air, plants, and animals, etc, the environment is a complexly interwoven system of ecology where a simple or drastic change in one aspect can emphatically or continually affect other aspects.

RIVERS PORT HARCOURT METROPOLIS

Port Harcount is the capital city of Rivers State, located in the southern part of Nigeria. The growing metropolis is one of the eight (8) local government areas within the state.

1.8 ORGANIZATION OF THE STUDIES

This research work is organized into five chapters, for easy understanding, as follows

Chapter one is concerned with the introduction, which consists of an (overview, of the study), a statement of the problem, the objectives of the study, the research question, the significance of the study, the research methodology, the definition of terms, and historical background of the study. Chapter two highlights the theoretical framework on which the study is based, thus the review of related literature. Chapter three deals with the research design and methodology adopted in the study. Chapter four concentrate on the data collection and analysis and presentation of finding.  Chapter five gives a summary, conclusion, and recommendations made of the study.

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