ABSTRACT
Anywhere crude oil is being explored, exploited, stored and/or transported, spill is inescapable with devastating socio-economic consequences on humans, environment and livelihood. The aim of this research was to comparatively examine the socioeconomic effects of water pollution in Kwale, Ogume and Emu oil producing communities of Delta State, Nigeria. Specific objectives were to investigate the socioeconomic effects of oil spills on water, explore the effects of oil spillage on fish farming, identify the basic amenities provide by oil companies and examine the strategies adopted by the communities in coping with oil spills. It was also hypothesized that the socio-economic effects of oil spills on water in Ndokwa West Local Government Area (NWLGA) are not statistically significant, link between location of oil spillage and effect on fish farming in the study area did not exist and the strategies adopted to cope with oil spill coping does not vary according to communities. Purposive and simple random sampling approaches were used in administering 399 structured and Likert scale based questionnaires with 96%retrieved from the field. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used in data analyses and presentation. Result showed that 67.8% of the respondents were female, 40.7%were26 – 35 years old, 75.2%married,70.5% had secondary education and 52.7% earned between N31,000.00 – N60, 000.00 monthly. Also, pollution of drinking water sources (fresh and ground water) with weighted mean score(WMS) of3.96, reduced population due to migration of residents out of the area (WMS = 3.90) and reduced economic activities, loss of sources of livelihood and increased poverty (WMS = 3.87) were among the most perceived socio-economic effect of oil spill on water and statistically significant. It was also found that less patronage for fishes caught in spill area (WMS = 3.84), reduction in quantity of harvested fish after oil spill (WMS = 3.77) and destruction of fishing nets and boats (WMS = 3.75) etcetera constituted oil spill effects on fishing with 35% of the variation effects accounted for by the place of oil spillage occurrence. Besides, basic social amenities were not provided by operating oil firms in the area whereas looking for alternative means source of livelihood (WMS = 3.21), stoppage of using water from river and drink only portable water (WMS = 3.14) including stoppage of using water from river and drink only portable water (WMS = 3.14) among others were oil spill coping strategies which also varied across study villages. The study concluded that sustainable oil spill contingency framework through action-oriented mitigation and adaptation programmes are therefore needed at the household, community and local government levels to save lives, properties, livelihoods and environment.
Keywords: Oil spill, socioeconomic effects, water pollution, fish farming, Ndokwa West
Local Government Area
