Evaluation of aquifer vulnerability and the protective capacity in some oil producing communities of western Niger Delta

• Published in: The Environmentalist Vol. 29; no. 3; pp. 310 - 317
• Main Authors: Atakpo, Edmund Aviedo, Ayolabi, Elijah Adebowale
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston Springer US 01.09.2009; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Aquifers; Bottlenecks; Control; Crude oil; Earth and Environmental Science; Electrodes; Environment; Environmental cleanup; Environmental hazards; Environmental Management; Environmental protection; Environmentalists; Geophysics; Hydrocarbons; multidisciplinary; Oil pollution; Oil spills; Pipelines; Quality Control; Reliability; Safety and Risk; Science; Social conditions; Software; Systems Theory; Water pollution; Nigeria; ASE, Nigeria, Rivers, Niger Delta; Protective capacity; Longitudinal conductance contamination
• ISSN: 0251-1088; 2194-5403; 1573-2991; 2194-5411
• DOI: 10.1007/s10669-008-9191-3

Oil spills have become a major environmental hazard constituting serious social problems in Nigeria, especially in the oil producing communities. The spills contaminate the aquifer if the subsurface layers are not protected. Geoelectric technique of geophysical investigation has been used to evaluate the protective capacity of six oil producing communities: Oleh, Olomoro, Uzere, Afiesere, Ekakpamre and Uvwiamuge in the western Niger Delta. A total of 139 vertical electrical sounding (VES) using the Schlumberger electrode configuration were occupied in these communities. The longitudinal conductance maps delineated areas with poor (<0.1 mho), weak (0.1–0.19 mho), moderate (0.2–0.69 mho) and good protective capacity (0.7–4.9 mho). The study has shown that the protective capacity of most parts of the communities studied is poor with Uvwiamuge and Ekakpamre communities not protected hence the aquifer in these oil producing communities are vulnerable to contamination by hydrocarbon in the event of pollution. Hence proper environmental protection measures have been suggested to safeguard the aquifer from pollution by hydrocarbon in the event of spillage.