Environmental Risk Assessment Of Solid Waste Management During Pandemic

1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE PROJECT
Waste generation is an issue of worldwide concern. The generators of waste are broadly classified as residential, industrial, commercial, institutional, construction, demolition, municipal and agricultural types. Solid waste is also generated by human and animal activities that are discarded as useless or unwanted waste.
Indiscriminate dumping refers to unlawful disposal of waste in undesignated spaces such as open or vacant land, along drainage channel, sources of water and other areas (Achi et al. 2012; Okechukwu et al. 2012; Machete and Shale 2015). Indiscriminate dumping is a common and prevalent though risky practice, especially among developed and developing communities. Two separate studies conducted in Nigeria and Ghana came to the same conclusions: that approximately 80% of solid waste in African countries was disposed of through indiscriminate dumping (Ogwueleka 2009; Aziale and Asafo-Adjei 2013). The prevalence of indiscriminate dumping and its spread across African communities is therefore clear. However, although indiscriminate dumping is more prevalent in developing countries, developed countries are not an exception.
This study appraised the indiscriminate solid waste disposal and the environmental issues relating to such disposal along drainage channel in Ibadan South West Local Government. Solid waste along drainage channel are regarded as discarded materials arising from operational activities taken place in different land use such as residential, commercial and industrial. Domestic or residential wastes are those that are collected from dwelling places on a regular basis, such waste include organic matter resulting from preparation and consummation of food, rags, nylon and ashes are the remains after various cooking and heating processes. The commercial wastes are those that arise from shops, supermarkets, market and others; they include paper carton, polythene bags and nylons. The industrial wastes are those waste materials that arise from industries; these could be solid, liquid, sludge or emotive title attached to them like toxic, hazardous and special waste. The industrial waste include metals, scraps, chips and grits from machine, shops, sawdust, paper pieces and glass (Omole and Alakinde 2013). Kenneth and Huie (1983) also classified solid waste into three categories, namely; garbage, ashes and rubbish. The garbage includes organic matter resulting from preparation and consumption of food. Ashes include remains from cooking and heating process and the rubbish may either take the form of combustible such as paper, rags, wood, leaves and weeds or non-combustible such as glass, plastic, polythene and metal materials.
Currently, most developing countries appear to be failing to find their way around solid waste handling and management. Consequent upon the high prevalence of indiscriminate dumping, people from developing economies are at risk of myriad environmental and health hazards, such as air pollution, water pollution and bio- chemical poisoning of food supplies, resulting from indiscriminately dumped municipal and hazardous waste materials (Rahman et al. 2013).
Waste disposal could be described as indiscriminate when such materials are disposed of at locations that are unlawful and where it could result in or trigger environmental or health hazards to people and animals alike. For instance, refuse disposed in or around canals can hinder the free passage of rain water through such channels and hence cause the overflow of rain water beyond boundaries to damaging proportions. This is common whenever flooding occurs. Several studies have shown that solid waste generation rate is average of 0.5kg per person per day (Okpala, 1984). The generation rates for the African’s major cities are estimated to range from 0.31 to 1.4kg per capital per day. This gives an average of 0.78kg (Achankang, 2003).
According to world Bank study, urban per capital waste management rate for most of the low-income countries will increase by approximately 0.2kg per day by 2025 because of relatively high annual growth rates of GNP and urban population (Chakrabarti and Ssarkhal, 2003).
Despite this, few of the populace is still served; where served, not all the refuse is collected in most cases. Due to the overwhelming volume of solid waste, the local Government cannot single-handedly collect and dispose them. Consequently, the government has allowed private collection and disposal of these solid wastes on a commercial basis. It is alarming that problem of inefficient solid waste management still linger on after the incorporation of the private business men tagged ‘waste contractors’. This leaves refuse containers filled to the brim and sill over and more importantly allowing the refuse enough time to decompose. These constitute health risk to the household. Improper collection and disposal leads to spread of communicable diseases, obnoxious conditions and spoils biosphere as a whole; for instance, respiratory infections and diarrhea diseases have been identified as the two major causes of death among the poorest 20% of the world countries ranked by national GDP per capital (Gwatkin and Guillot, 1999). The outbreak of these diseases has been attributed to area where solid waste is improperly collected and disposed.
The poorest populations mostly resort to sporadic and indiscriminate dumping of their waste into available plots of land, sidewalks, roadways, streams, channels and drainage areas. More than 70 percent of the refuse generated in the city is disposed of in this way. These refuse are good contaminants of streams, ground water especially shallow wells and the entire environment. Therefore, this study aimed at assessing the environmental risk of solid waste management during pandemic in ogun state, ado-odo ota local government area and make necessary recommendations on waste disposal and management practices to prevent further deterioration of the environment and the negative effects on the human population in Ota Local Government Area.

1.2 PROBLEM STATEMENT
Present-day estimates in Nigeria reveal an annual solid waste generation of 36 million tons per annum. The increasing rate of globalization has led to an upsurge in the volume of solid wastes being generated in our cities daily which have made the management of solid waste a major environmental and public health concern for governments of developing countries. The rate at which municipal solid wastes are being generated in Ado-Odo/Ota LGA, in Ogun State, Nigeria which is rapidly becoming an urban locale, has been increasing tremendously since year 2000 most especially during the pandemic (Olukanni & Mnenga, 2015). Babayemi and Dauda (2009) indicated that the shortage of innovative technologies, equipment for segregation at sources of generation and collection centres, flaws and weaknesses in our solid waste management strategies and their implementations, environmental awareness and income of the populace among others, are reasons for the dire waste management situation in the country. The waste streams in Ado- Odo/Ota L.G.A have been observed to exceed the collection capacity. This is evident owing to the heaps of waste springing up in unregulated or illegal dump sites around the budding metropolis. The lack of proper and detailed land use plan has stalled effective waste disposal, ruined the area’s aesthetics and has posed serious health challenges to the residents (Olukanni, Akinyinka, Ede, Akinwumi, & Ajanaku, 2014).

1.3 AIM AND OBJECTIVES
The aim of this study is to know the state of solid waste disposal, methods and environmental issues relating to such disposal along drainage channels during pandemic.
The objectives of the study are;
1. To establish the current situation of solid waste disposal in Ota local government area during pandemic
2. To identify the method of waste disposal within the Local Government
3. To know the environmental issues associated with the management of solid waste.
4. To analyze the whether there is significant relationship between environment, health and peoples’ attitude towards solid waste disposal
5. To know the contribution of the local and state on solid waste disposal

1.4 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The purpose of this study is to assess the environmental risk dump of Solid Waste and environmental issues in Ogun state as the study area in order to reduce the health and environmental risks that abound from siting landfills in indiscriminate locations.

1.5 RESEARCH HYPOTHESES
Formulated Hypotheses to guide this study are the following;
1. Indiscriminate dump of Solid waste has no significant effect on the Environment.
H1: Indiscriminate Solid Waste prevention leads to better environment for the present and future, thereby leading to sustainable development
H2: Indiscriminate dump of Solid waste disposal is a huge mess to the environment
H3: Indiscriminate dump of Solid waste disposal reduces environmental values
H4: Indiscriminate dump of Solid waste causes damage to soil through deposits of harmful chemicals and material
H5: Indiscriminate dump of Solid waste blocks drainages which can lead to flood in the environment
2. Indiscriminate dump of Solid waste has no significant effect on Health of the individuals
H1: Indiscriminate dump of Solid Waste causes infectious diseases among people
H2: Indiscriminate dump of Solid Waste pollutes the atmosphere which causes air-borne diseases
H3: Indiscriminate dump of Solid Waste is a breeding place for diseases vectors which transmit diseases H4: Indiscriminate dump of Solid Waste results to contamination of food and water
H5: Indiscriminate dump of Solid Waste causes Cholera and Dysentery
3. Indiscriminate dump of solid waste has no significant relationship between people’s attitude and practice. H1: Indiscriminate dump of Solid Waste arises because people cannot pay for the waste
H2: Indiscriminate dump of Solid Waste is because of people’s laziness H3: Indiscriminate dump of Solid Waste were dumped in abandoned lands
H4: Indiscriminate dump of Solid Waste results as a result of non-implemented sanctions for violators H5: Indiscriminate dump of Solid Waste dumped on the waterways

1.6 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
This study deals with the rate of solid waste generation along drainage channels which has increased to a devastating and uncontrollable rate in Nigeria as a result of human daily and economic activities. Although, the issue of indiscriminate solid waste disposal is a global one. Modernization, high standard of living, increase in population, technological innovation and excessive urbanization over the years has drastically contributed to the generation of municipal waste, through industrial and domestic activities. Due to inadequate waste disposal method, dumping of refuse in an unauthorized places is now the order of the day in the country, both in local and national level and penalties that are placed on defaulters are not been effectively carried out. Environment close to dump sites are exposed to significant and rapid environmental degradation mostly in Ado- Odo/Ota L.G.A which brings about adverse effect on the general sustainability of urban life, poor agricultural yield, widespread of germs and diseases, extinction of aquatic bodies due to water toxicity and acidification. Apart from the fact that human health is at great risk, life becomes unbearable to dwellers in such environments. This study was carried out to address this issue.

1.7 RESEARCH QUESTION
During the survey conduct the following question were thrown to the respondent;
i. Do solid waste properly disposed along drainage channels within the Local Government?
ii. Are there any benefits that can be derived from waste?
iii. Does Solid waste a major environmental issue?
iv. Does the quality of waste disposal services satisfactory?
v. Does method of waste adopted work for the resident living within the Local Government?
vi. Is it good to bury waste than to burn it?

1.8 PROJECT ORGANISATION
The work is organized as follows: chapter one discuses the introductory part of the work, chapter two presents the literature review of the study, chapter three describes the methods applied, chapter four discusses the results of the work, chapter five summarizes the research outcomes and the recommendations.