CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1  Background of the study.
The environmental public health has become a prominent, but complex and multidimensional issue on the public policy agenda of the states and international organizations. This transformation after a long period of being neglected began in Rio in the year 1992. The environmental issues is today perceived not simply as a narrow ecological problem of how to ensure a symbiotic and congruent interface between man and the environment. It’s intercourse has political, psychological, developmental, sociological and scientific ramification, all of these are anchored to the new concept. The metaphor sustainable development emanated from the report titled “Our common future†prepared by the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED). This report, also is known as Brundland Report, recogazied that many developmental activities in many nations especially in developing countries, were living growing numbers of people poor and vulnerable, while at the same time degrading their environment. The report then concluded that a new path for development should be implemented to sustain human progress not just in a few places for few years but globally in the future. This conclusion led the report to focus on issues such as, population, energy, industry, human settlement and quality of life Throughout history, the environment and natural resources have played a defining role in social, political, and economic transformations. They have also been a major contention in charactersing African as a continent. The environment has been at the receiving end and overburdened with aftermath of the excesses of humans in their struggle for survival. Environment is a complex weave of physical, chemical and biotic factors that interact with each other and the impact on living things and their surroundings. A new climate change strategy, which support the capacity of developing countries to make information of greenhouse gas emission, as well as reduces poverty and accelerates the achievement of the MDGS was endorsed (UNDP,2008). Environment is the source of global economy that must be protected and managed sustainably. All efforts directed at managing and administering the environment is to ensure the continued existence of the biological diversity entities on the earth of which humans are the prime species and without it, humans cannot exist (Aluko, 2004). Nigeria is a country with productive and diverse ecosystem including mangroves, rainforest, savanna as well as wetlands. , the study area is the capital of Delta State in Nigeria, with area coverage of about 762km2
(294sqmi). The population of the area is estimated at 4.112.445millon. The area is an important industrial and commercial center with a number of flourishing industries such as Eastern Metal Limited, Trash Global multiservice Limited (TGMSL), Twin angel’s chemicals & Allied production E.T.C. The presence of potentail energy from oil and natural gas has been made to become one of the most important industrial cities in Nigeria Lies along Edo State from the North, Anambra State from the east Imo, and Southeast by Bayelsa State and on the Southern Flank is height of Benin which covers about 160 kilometers of the state’s coastline. Ondo to the North weast. The Niger Delta area is the hardest hit of environmental destruction arising from oil production. Metropolis in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria is the fourth largest urban center of the country. It possesses substantial natural resources prominent among which are major oil and gas deposits in the Niger Delta region of the country, a variety of solid minerals, good agricultural land and water resources, a large labor  force and a vibrant private sector. Average daily waste (refuse) generated in ranged for about 4.892 million tons. The agency in charge with the responsibility of solid waste management is private sector participants (PSPs). The agency created refuse collection centers/points within the metropolis & evacuate it to designated government approved dumpsites. Composition of waste generated include, Garbage (41%), paper and plastics (35%) scrap metal and glass (15%), construction waste (4%), sludge (3%) and expired chemical wastes and drugs (2%) (DSESA 2005). The Niger Delta environment, as a resources and a system, is threatened. Unsuitable large –scale exploitation of ecosystems for strictly economic ends is resulting to disastrous outcomes in which the environment and agricultural productivity is degraded and the benefit proves illusory (Opera, 2003). The most serious of our environmental problems can be found in the Niger – Delta where, as a result of exploration and exploitation of petroleum oil and gas, the surrounding area have been adversely polluted (Babalola, 1985, Onu and Opara 2001, Opara 2008 b). Apart from the problems associated with oil spills, there is a problem of gas flaring. Nigeria currently flares 53% of the gas produced and responsible for 28% of the gas being flared in the world (Okebukola, 2001). Nigerians and the Nigerian environment as a result of gas flaring and oil spills have suffered from acid rain, desertification, chronic health problems, greenhouse effect and depletion of Ozone layer. E.T.C. (Nosike and Opara, 2003). The trends of environmenta abuse in the country suggest that humans are probably heading towards ecological destruction.