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

Morrison Ifeanyi Atuma, Vincent Nduka Ojeh

Department of Arts & Humanities, School of General Studies, Delta State Polytechnic, Ogwashi-Uku, Nigeria.
Graduate Research Programme, West African Science Service Center on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL), Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria..

DOI: 10.4236/jep.2013.410121                

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.

Keywords

Gas Flaring; Soil; Cassava Productivity; Ebedei

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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