The Niger Delta region of Nigeria has an area of seventy thousand square kilometers (70,000 KM2) of wetlands, formed primarily by sediments deposition.

It is home to about 20 million people and 40 different ethnic groups. This floodplain region makes up 7.5 percent of Nigeria's total landmass. It is the largest wetland and maintains the third largest drainage area in Africa. The Delta Environment can be broken down into four ecological zones: coastal barrier islands; mangrove swamp forests; fresh water swamps; and lowland rainforests. This incredibly naturally-endowed ecosystem region, which contains one of the highest concentrations of biodiversity on the planet, in addition to supporting abundant flora and fauna, has arable terrain. The region sustains a wide variety of crops, economic trees and a variety of fresh water fish than any ecosystem in West Africa. But this region, if care is not taken can lose most of its natural endowments due to uncontrolled gas flaring and oil exploration activities.

A gas flare or flare stack is an elevated vertical stack or chimney found on oil wells or oil rigs and in refineries, chemical plants and landfills used for burning off unwanted gas or flammable gas and liquids released by pressure relief valves during unplanned over-pressuring of plant equipment

It is a well known fact that Nigerian oil reserves contain high amount of gas. During the process of oil drilling, the gas is constantly being released and one of the ways to get rid of it is by setting fire to it and burning it off using a process called gas flaring. In this process so many by-products of combustion are released into the atmosphere. These by-products include nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, volatile organic compounds like benzene toluene, xylene and hydrogen sulphide, as well as carcinogens like benzapyrene and dioxines etc.

Effects on health:

Human beings exposed to these substances can suffer from a variety of respiratory problems, which have been reported, especially amongst the children in the Niger Delta, but have apparently gone uninvestigated. These chemicals can aggravate asthma, breathing difficulties and chest pain and chronic bronchitis. Of particular note is that the chemical, benzene (toxic liquid from petroleum) which is known to be emitted from gas flares in undocumented quantities, is well researched and ascertained as being a causative agent for leukemia (a fatal blood cancer in which white blood cells displace normal blood, leading to infection, shortage of red blood cells anaemia, bleeding and other disorders) and other blood related diseases.

Often, gas flares are located close to local communities that usually lack adequate fencing or protection for villagers who may risk their lives by going near the excessive heat of the flare in order to carry out their daily activities. This therefore contributes to health problems.

Effects on environment:

Gas flaring causes acid rains in the Niger Delta. The primary cause of acid rain are the emissions of sulphur dioxide(S02) and Nitrogen oxides(N02), which combine with atmospheric moisture to form zz with the gas flaring; debilitating the farmers and their families who depend on the land for their livelihood.

Drinking water is also frequently contaminated and sheen of oil is usually visible in many localized bodies of water and also in collected rain water. Agriculture is affected in the Niger Delta region. Delta residents have for long complained about how their corrugated roofs have been corroded by the composition of the rain that falls as a result of flaring. According to Nnimo Bassey, an environmental activist, one glaring evidence yet of the devastation of acid rain in areas where flaring is practiced, is that corrugated metal roofing sheets deteriorate and corrode at a very fast rate. He says that the roofing sheets usually last for 5 years as against the established 20 year life span.

Gas flaring also contributes to ozone depletion and this leads to the exacerbation of the problem of global warming. CFCs or chlorofluorocarbons are the primary cause of ozone depletion. When industrial processes release these chemicals, they rise into the atmosphere and degrade the ozone layer. Gas flaring, not only in the Niger Delta, but also in Nigeria is highly inefficient and releases large amount of methane which has very high global warming potential. Other green house gasses include carbon dioxide etc.

Solution:

Oil companies in Nigeria, particularly around the Niger Delta region should be compelled to abide by the world environmental standards as they carry out their businesses. They should modernise their equipments; establish a proactive maintenance culture for ageing and corroding pipes.

Before drilling commences in an area, a satisfactory and exhaustive environmental impact assessment should be conducted to ascertain the impact of gas effects affecting the area. The "what if" scenario must be developed and practiced. The Niger Delta indigenes and residents should be given a good monetary compensation by the government from the money generated from petroleum.

It is important that better equipped hospitals are provided for the treatment of people who fall sick from ailments that are caused by gas flaring pollutions.

Safiya is a 400 level Student of Biology, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria Nigeria.