Rural households perception of the impact of crude iol exploration in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government area of Rivers State, Nigeria

Abstract

Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni local government area of Rivers State, Nigeria is one of the largest reservoirs of crude oil in Nigeria and has experienced oil exploration and exploitation activities for many decades. This study assesses rural households’ perception of the impact of these activities on their environment, health and socio-economic lives. Findings revealed that oil exploitation and its attendant pollution had impacted negatively on the socio-economic activities of respondents compelling them to combine farming activities and fishing with trading as alternative survival strategy. Oil exploitation was linked to pollution of the air, soils, waters and the moral fabric of the communities. About 42% of the inhabitants were engaged in farming prior to oil exploration, 38.09% in fishing while 19.05% were engaged in hunting but currently 19.05% were engaged in farming, 14.29% were engaged in fishing and 11.00% in hunting, while 26.00% now combine fishing with trading and 28.57% combine farming with trading. The high cases of sexual promiscuity, prostitution, sexually transmitted diseases, high rate of school dropouts, broken homes and unwanted pregnancies among others in the area were linked to activities in the area. About 38% of the habitants reported fever due to heat generated by gas flares, while 23.81% and 19.05% indicated various gastrointestinal disorders contacted by drinking rain water, water from polluted rivers and streams or the consumption of fish from polluted water bodies. Another 19.05% suffer from various respiratory ailments such as bronchitis, asthma, cough asphyxiation as well as ocular diseases (4.76%). This study indicates that from the perspective of the rural farmers, the negative impacts of oil exploitation activities greatly outweigh the benefits derived.