Sand Dredging and Environmental Hazard in Eleme Local Government area of Rivers State, Nigeria

Abstract

Sand dredging will continue to be a significant source for land reclamation purposes and building materials for housing development in Nigeria, a developing nation whose metropolitan cities, particularly Port Harcourt metropolitan city, of which Eleme Local Government Area is a part, are growing at a high rate. Therefore, sand dredging activities is crucial to Eleme LGA's construction sector in realizing its goal of building a mega metropolis and would do so for a while due to population growth. Using the Aleto River in Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State, Nigeria, as a case study, this research aims to examine sand dredging and environmental hazard. In order to conduct its examination, the study used 4 Likert scale survey technique with the used of taro Yamane formula; a sample size of 400 was achieved, of which 386 samples were returned. Purposive sampling methods were used for this research project because they provide non-probability samples that are chosen depending on the traits existing in a particular demographic group and the overall study. Additionally, it aids researchers in recognizing the extreme viewpoints that exist among each demographic group. In an effort to meet man's insatiable wants, rivers are extensively exploited for resources found in river beds, such as sand, which has led to sand dredging being one of the major environmental issues facing the world in recent years. The aforementioned predicament has put the residents of Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State in danger on both an economic and environmental level. This essay aims to demonstrate the economic benefits of sand dredging which include creation of jobs, increase in the pace of home construction, the building and filling of roads, the promotion of local development, and source of income for the local populace. Sand dredging poses a number of environmental risks, including damage to nearby homes, loss of farmland, bridge damage, loss of lives, damage to streets and community roads, and tensions between locals, farmers, and sand miners that result in land degradation. The study recommends that environmental agencies should strengthen and develop binding and enforceable standards and specifications for the efficient regulation of the sand dredging and small scale mining industry, and that different villages, clans, and Municipalities should make sure that bylaws are created, monitored, and enforced as this may require the creation and execution of reclamation plans and bonds. The study concluded that government should adopt the above recommendation in order to mitigate the environmental hazard of sand dredging in Eleme LGA f Rivers State, Nigeria.