Environmental impact of the wrong location of the factory in Nigeria
The industrial age brought massive and positive development to the world as human activities became much easier through inventions and innovative feats that greeted the period. The increase in population brought with it the need for large-scale industrial production in different parts of the world and in various sectors such as textiles, agriculture, furniture and infrastructure, to name a few.
These developments had their good and bad points, depending on the perspective from which one wants to evaluate. Without a doubt, work became easier, life became more pleasant, and the world became more beautiful. But the world is under persistent threat, worse than in the pre-industrial era, considering recent instances of environmental hazards plaguing the planet, making the world susceptible to disasters.
Recent statistics from the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) revealed that 7,348 disasters occurred in the past two decades, with floods filling 40% while storms, earthquakes and extreme temperatures accounted for 28.8 and six percent respectively, claiming around 1.23 million lives and affecting more than 4 billion people worldwide, costing the world $2.97 trillion. How better is human exploration for a better life!
When these figures are compared with previous decades (1980-1999), a significant increase in disasters can be seen. For example, there were 4,212 disasters with 1.19 million deaths and economic losses reaching 1.63 trillion dollars between 1980 and 1999. The increase in the global average temperature, with an increase of 1.1 degrees Celsius in the planet since the pre-industrial period, it is considered the main cause of the increase in the frequency of heat waves, droughts, floods, winter storms and forest fires.
Nigeria has received its own fair share of disasters, industrial and natural disasters alike. One case at hand is a recent gas explosion in Lagos that killed more than 17 people and caused the destruction of more than 100 houses near the pipeline in the Abule-Ado area of ​​the state.
With special emphasis on the Niger Delta areas, the researchers discovered about 123 flaring sites and they discharge about 45.8 billion kilowatts of heat into the atmosphere from flaring 1.8 billion cubic feet of gas every day. This made the riparian areas one of the largest emitters of greenhouse gases in Africa and carbon dioxide in the world.
These environmental changes, caused by the activities of oil-producing companies in the areas, have negatively affected the living conditions of the residents. There have been reports recently of some residential areas like Aiyetoro in Ilaje LG A, Ondo State being submerged by ocean waves. Ironically, fishermen have discovered that fish are easy to catch, just as miners find gold easily, despite the fact that fishing is the main source of livelihood for the young.
The earth is becoming uninhabitable with the emission of gases that poison the atmosphere. Other states like Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Kano with high concentrations of factories in the country are the most susceptible to environmental hazards.
Therefore, it is pertinent to implement the recommendations of environmental experts to deal once and for all with this threatening phenomenon. The recent tree planting campaign is commendable. But, the fight against global warming must be intensified in Nigeria and Africa in general, while conscious efforts must be made to propagate environmental security for the well-being of Nigerians affected by industrial activities as the world advances in science and technology. .
