Socio-economic implications and environmental effects of oil spillage in some communities in the Niger delta
This study examined the effects of oil spillage on the socio-economic activities of the people and the environment in some communities in the Niger delta. The objectives are to determine the quantity of oil spilled from pipelines, the area of coverage and to assess the effects of oil spillage on the people, soil and water. Data were collected from both primary and secondary sources. The primary data relied on the administration of structured questionnaires; 319 questionnaires were randomly distributed to a sample population (household heads), with 302 retrieved. Secondary data were sourced from published materials. Also, soil samples from four locations and water samples from five locations were collected to determine the pH value of the water, the presence and concentration of heavy metals in the soil and the total hydrocarbon content (THC) of water. Soil and water samples were analysed using the atomic absorption spectrophotometer and gravimetric methods for soil and water, respectively. There was a strong relationship between the volume of oil spilled and the area coverage. Laboratory soil analysis from sampled communities showed a higher concentration of heavy metals (chromium, lead, arsenic, etc.) above the World Health Organization (WHO) permissible levels as well as the figure for controlled site. Similarly, three of the communities studied had THC concentrations of 40,000 ppm exceeding both WHO limit of 1 ppm and controlled site. This has grave implications on the soil, water and socio-economic activities of the people. It is, therefore, important that environmental laws should be strictly adhered to. Compensation should be adequately and promptly paid to the communities, and remedial action should be speedily undertaken whenever there are spills. Finally, the oil companies must involve the communities in the maintenance and monitoring of pipelines with the ultimate goal of improving the quality of life of members of rural communities.
Vulnerability and adaptive capacity in livelihood responses to oil spill in Bodo, Niger Delta
The environmental impacts of oil pollution in the Niger Delta have been well-documented, with research centered on transnational environmental justice issues, institutional failings at government level, and the political strategies of high profile representatives of the Ogoni community. However, the responses of affected communities has elicited relatively limited attention from academic researchers, and in particular, little is understood about the complex factors that shape how households have sought to tackle the impact of environmental degradation. This thesis addresses this gap by analysing the ways in which rural households in this region have sought to adapt and rebuild their livelihoods. The thesis combines insights from vulnerability science with a sustainable livelihoods approach to develop a conceptual framework that draws attention to the social dynamics of capacity and resilience as expressed in households’ everyday livelihood practices, and the factors that support or impede these. The study deploys a mixed method case study approach in the Ogoni community of Bodo, where people continue to struggle with the aftermath of two incidents of spillage from a Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) pipeline in 2008. Questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions and a desk-based survey of regional natural resource management policies are used to elicit data on land use, livelihood strategies and the impacts of oil spill, and to explore factors shaping livelihood responses to the oil spill and interventions that have followed in its wake. Findings show that social differences are critical in shaping vulnerability and capacity, and that patterns of disadvantage have become more entrenched not only as a result of oil spill, but through the unintended consequences of institutional and household responses. Gender emerges as a particularly salient factor that has contributed to variations in household resilience in the face of oil spill and the socio-political environment that followed. Environmental degradation had a particularly heavy impact on women’s farming and shell fish collecting activities, damaging household economies, but also dismantling many of the social networks that formed around women’s collective labour. Moreover, corporate social responsibility interventions had unintended gender consequences, as emphasis was given to reinforcing ‘traditions’ that limited women’s empowerment. The research findings advance an understanding of the complex gender dynamics that result in socially differentiated pathways towards greater vulnerability or resilience in the face of anthropogenic environmental hazards, in this case relating to oil pollution and its clean-up in Ogoniland.
On the fractionation of β-lactoglobulin and α-lactalbumin
Abstract Existing methods for the preparation of α-lactalbumin and β-lactoglobulin are examined critically. It is proposed that the most satisfactory method for the preparation of the whey protein fraction from bovine milk is (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 fractionation. A number of new gentle procedures for the fractionation of the whey proteins are compared with some existing methods. The distribution of total protein at various stages is determined by total Kjeldahl nitrogen and the kind of protein by starch-gel electrophoresis. The effect of variables, such as pH, salt concentration and temperature on the separation of α-lactalbumin and serum albumin from β-lactoglobulin is studied. Differences in the behavior ( e.g. solubility) of genetic variants of β-lactoglobulin are noted. The solubility of each of the major whey proteins, under similar conditions to those used in the fractionation, is compared with its solubility in the whey protein mixture. The understanding gained of factors important in the fractionation is used in recommending new procedures for α-lactalbumin and β-lactoglobulin isolation.