Niger delta is rich in resources, but environmental destruction is pushing people into povertyNigeria’s Niger Delta region is rich in natural ...
Published on by Water Network Research, Official research team of The Water Network
Nigeria’s Niger Delta region is rich in natural resources. Its vast oil and gas deposits are the mainstay of the country’s economy.
The region, in the southernmost part of the country, features coastal barrier islands, mangroves, freshwater swamp forests and lowland rain forests. The coast offers various ways of making a living, like fishing, tourism, producing salt, and farming coconut and bananas.
Yet it is estimated that over 47% of the population in the region lives below the poverty line.
We study the economic aspects of environmental issues, and in a recent paper set out to understand the relationship between the destruction of coastal ecosystems in this region and the economic hardship the people faced.
Europeans, get our weekly newsletter with analysis from European scholars
We found that marine ecosystems had been badly affected by a number of factors, including an increasing population, pollution, over-fishing, damaging fishing techniques and global warming.
The degradation of the environment affects the poor the most as they depend on natural resources like seafood and wood for survival and energy. And they do not earn enough to relocate from polluted areas.
The destruction of an ecosystem
We identified a few areas where the Niger Delta ecosystem had been badly affected. The environmental problems in communities like Bille, Andoni, Okirika, Emohua and Ibaa in Rivers State are caused by oil spills, gas flaring, human activities and water pollution, among others.
Between 1976 and 2006, there were at least 7,000 oil spills in the region, affecting an area of more than 2,500 square kilometres. These oil spills have polluted the soil, water and air, and they have had a devastating impact on the people who live in the region. The destruction of the ecosystem has led to environmental problems like flooding and soil erosion, which destroys homes and crops, leading to further poverty. The lack of a healthy ecosystem has led to health problems for the people living in the region.
Gas flaring is the process of burning off excess natural gas that is produced during oil drilling. More than 2.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas are flared every day in the Niger Delta. This process emits greenhouse gases and other pollutants into the atmosphere, and it also wastes a valuable resource that could be used to generate electricity or heat homes.
Mangroves are being lost because of water pollution. Mangrove forests are an important source of food and income for local communities, and their loss has led to a decline in fish stocks and other marine resources. This has damaged the livelihoods of fishers and increased the price of fish in local markets.
Attached link
https://theconversation.com/niger-delta-is-rich-in-resources-but-environmental-destruction-is-pushing-people-into-poverty-214598Taxonomy
- Poverty Reduction