Natural water bodies in Nigeria’s South-South region have been polluted by oil spillage from nearby refineries. According to The Nation, Aiteo Exploration and Production Company Limited began spilling crude and gas into the Santa Barbara River and other connected water bodies in November 2021, crisscrossing many communities in other states like the Rivers and Delta.
Because fishing and farming activities in those areas are completely reliant on the availability of clean water, this continuous act of water pollution has resulted in unemployment and poverty. As a result, illegal crude tapping from oil majors’ pipelines has become a lucrative business.
The recent black soot stories in Nigeria’s Bayelsa State have raised serious concerns, particularly among those who live nearby. This was linked to illegal petroleum product refining.
The processing of heavy crude oil generates a variety of toxic organic and inorganic pollutants that have direct and indirect environmental consequences. Refineries can pollute the environment in several ways, including gas flaring, oil spillage, and pipeline vandalism.
Transportation of petroleum products, operational discharge, oil well blow-outs, leakage of oil storage tanks and pipelines, refinery effluents discharged into the environment, natural oil seeps, industrial municipal wastes, urban and rural runoff, biosynthesis, atmospheric fallout, terminal loading, and other accidental discharge of waste oil are all known sources of pollution from petroleum industrial operations.
When oil spills into bodies of water, the gaseous and liquid components evaporate over time. Other components dissolve in the water and undergo oxidation right away, while others go through bacterial changes and eventually sink to the bottom. Sulfur-containing compounds, trace metals, and hydrocarbons are the most common pollutants released into the water, resulting in surface water contamination.
Crude oil spillage on land affects both the soil and the organisms that live in it. A significant decrease in calcium, potassium, and phosphorus, as well as a significant increase in sand fraction and content, were found in oil spill-affected soils.
Because of Nigeria’s ineffective water treatment facilities and the fact that a significant amount of oil is spilled each year, the wastewater has become potentially dangerous due to its toxicity, posing a risk to the ecosystem.
Refinery combustion emissions emit hazardous air pollutants that are known or suspected to cause cancer and birth defects and have serious environmental consequences. Greenhouse gases (GHGs) are also emitted, which contribute to climate change.
To combat air pollution, technologies that monitor and reduce emissions can be implemented. To reduce air pollution, for example, air pollution monitoring equipment, pollution control equipment, or oil refineries can be used. These approaches would undoubtedly incur capital costs, but these refineries must consider the long-term viability of their processes.
It is necessary to make water purification systems available. It is not sufficient to construct these facilities; proper maintenance is required to ensure that the wastewater treatment process is effective.
Furthermore, the Nigerian government must play a role in ensuring and enforcing compliance with environmental regulations by these refineries.