The environment provides mankind with general life support. Thus, all of man’s activities, be it economic, social or political, are carried out on the environment. It is in man’s quest to provide for his everyday needs that have spurred him to explore and exploit the environment thereby degrading the environment in the process. Thus, as man continue the degradation process, the environment in turn has its way of making sure that man does not go unharmed i.e., it places man under certain unfavorable circumstances. These circumstances usually come in the form of diseases, hunger and general hardship. Environmental degradation can contribute to social, economic and political instability, which can lead to untold hardship and security problems.
The people of Sabon Gari Local Government Area, Muchia district in particular, are not exempted from this crime of environmental degradation, thus, they are not spared from the consequence therein.
This paper is an attempt to examine the physical and social environment of Sabon Gari Local Government area using Muchia district as a case study. The scope of this paper shall cover the description of the physical and social environment, the environmental challenges faced by the community, the effects of these challenges on the community, and the community and government’s method of addressing these challenges. We shall also attempt at offering recommendations towards addressing the identified challenges.
Methodology
In an attempt to capture and portray the true picture of our subject of study we have employed both primary and secondary sources. For primary sources, we have relied heavily on interviews with and questionnaires from members of the community and the appropriate authorities. Ten inhabitants including the District Head, Alhaji Muhammadu Garba were interviewed and given questionnaires to fill. Interviews with Environmental Officers at the Health Department of the Local Government were also conducted. For secondary sources, owing to the nature of the subject matter, we have resorted to web searches from the internet and have also collected data from Sabon Gari local Government.
While the secondary sources served the purpose of forming a theoretical background, the primary sources laid the basis for understanding what the community is actually passing through.
Theoretical Framework
The Merriam- Webster online dictionary defines the environment as
1: the circumstances, objects, or conditions by which one is surrounded
2 a: the complex of physical, chemical, and biotic factors (as climate, soil, and living things) that act upon an organism or an ecological community and ultimately determine its form and survival
b: the aggregate of social and cultural conditions that influence the life of an individual or community.[1]
According to black’s law dictionary, the environment is the totality of physical, economic, cultural, aesthetic and social circumstances and factors which surround and affect the desirability and value of property and which also affect the quality of people’s lives. The surrounding conditions, influences or forces which influences or modify. [2]
For the Encyclopedia Wikipedia, the environment is a terminology that comprises all living and non-living things that occur naturally on Earth or some region thereof. This term includes a few key components:
1. Complete ecological units that function as natural systems without massive human intervention, including all vegetation, animals, microorganisms, rocks, atmosphere and natural phenomena that occur within their boundaries.
2. Universal natural resources and physical phenomena that lack clear-cut boundaries, such as air, water, and climate, as well as energy, radiation, electric charge, and magnetism, not originating from human activity.
The natural environment is contrasted with the built environment, which comprises the areas and components that are strongly influenced by man. A geographical area is regarded as a natural environment, if the human impact on it is kept under a certain limited level. This level depends on the specific context, and changes in different areas and contexts.[3]
For our purpose the environment shall refer to the total of our physical and biological surrounds including the interrelationships amongst all of those components as well as the functioning of each component. The components include the geological base, soils, water, atmosphere, and all the floral and fauna (macro and micro). This is in addition to man and his social and cultural system dependent upon the biophysical components for his existence and livelihood.
Description of Muchia District
Muchia is a district in Sabon Gari local government and thus share the basic characteristics of the latter. Thus, our description of Sabon Gari LGA will be deemed to apply to Muchia district.
The Physical Environment;
Sabon Gari Local Government covers a total land area of approximately 600 KM2 which is situated on Latitude 11012”N and Longitude 07037”E. . The entire land structure consists of an undulating Plateau with flat land dotted with few mountains that provides a fertile land for agriculture. The prevailing vegetation of tall grass and big trees are of economic importance during both the wet and dry season.
There are two marked seasons, the Dry windy season and the Rainy wet season. The wet season is usually from April through October with great variations across years. On the average, the area enjoys a rainy season of about six (6) months. The annual rainfall averages 1094.34 mm (43.08). During the dry season the weather is usually hot and can reach 430C. [4]
There is also the presence of a river known as Galma/Tsugugi which is used during the dry season for irrigation farming.
The Social Environment;
The total population of Sabon Gari Local Government Area, according to the 2006 census result, is put at 305,524 persons.
The natives of Muchia are predominantly Hausas and are under the traditional leadership of a District head known as the Tai Rimin Zaazzau, while other inhabitants are from various parts of the country and beyond, making the community a cosmopolitan setting. The people accept their differences and tolerate one another, hence social interaction tend to be very cordial neighbors celebrate and share happiness and sorrow together. The most common religious practices are Islam and Christianity. The predominant occupation of the people ranges from farming, trading civil service and other activities within the informal sector. [5]
The method of agriculture is a mixture of both rudimentary and mechanized system and the funding of agriculture is privately done by the farmer who is also responsible for the marketing of his produce after harvest.
The level of employment and income of the people is relatively low, and; literacy level is also low because a large proportion of the population cannot read and write or perform simple numeric task. The health level of the people is also very low. The presents of government is recently being felt in the community as newly constructed roads could be seen in the area. However, the schools found were in pitiable condition as well as the clinics.
There is also the presence of a few manufacturing firms such as the British-American Tobacco Company (BAT), Zaria Ginnery Ltd and Premier Seed oil Ltd.
The basic source(s) of water for the people are well water and pipe borne water. The pipe borne water is not usually available and when it eventually becomes available it is not usually safe for drinking, thus the people rely heavily on well water which has its own problems.
Environmental Challenges
According to the information gathered from the field, the industries earlier mentioned do not seriously pollute the environment for the community, save for the tobacco company that have turned virtually all the male inhabitants of the area into chained smokers.
There is a very high population of motorcycles and commuter buses and they breed noise pollution as well as flagrantly emit carbon into the atmosphere. Also during the dry season, the climate gets so hot that the people suffer from cerebra-spiral meningitis.
There are not much physical environmental problems such as erosion, flood and the likes. However, there is the problem of poor sanitation in the form of poor refuse collection and disposal. Mountains of refuse as well as human waste (liquid and solid) could be seen in almost every corner of the streets owing to the indiscriminate dumping of refuse; there are no incinerator facilities nor is there any permanent central dumping ground.
Drainage and sewage management is grossly inadequate. People build houses with little or no consideration for drainage in the form of gutter and where these exist, they are not properly channeled to the central system. Also the drainage and sewage are not regularly cleaned up, thus they are dirty, stuffed with sand, polythene bags and garbage that block the flow of water during rainfall, usually leaving the area dirty, smelling and in fact polluted. This serves as a breeding ground for mosquitoes and other microbial organisms constituting a threat to human health.
The pipes that carry the water that run into people’s homes are old, rusty and leaking. Some of these pipes run through gutters, and they get infiltrated with gutter water before they reach their destination, thus constituting a health problem. Also the irregular supply of this pipe-borne water coupled with their poor quality for human consumption, has forced the people to rely heavily on well water which too is not safe for drinking. In fact, there is poor personal hygiene amongst the people
Effects of The challenges
The above mentioned problems have resulted in the people failing ill to malaria, typhoid, cholera and other infections owing to mosquito bites and the intake of unclean water as well as stench.
The poor management of refuse and its disposal as well as drainage and sewage have not only lead to deplorable health conditions for the inhabitants but have also taken away the aesthetics of the natural and built-in environment.
There is also a dearth of fresh air owing to the emissions of pollutants by the industries, commuter buses and motorcycles.
The Most Affected Group
Amongst men, women and children, the groups that are mostly affected by the above challenges are the last two, although the male folk are not spared. Women and their children suffer more because they are poor and ignorant. Most women are unlettered and unemployed. Children suffer the most because; first, their unlettered mothers are unable to properly socialize them on the effects of their poor environmental habits and; second, because they (children) spend most of their play time on the streets and open places that are unkempt and contaminated. [6]
The male folk, inclusive of young adult, have a peculiar problem emanating from their smoking habits i.e. tuberculosis. The entire population is equally affected by the problems of unclean air and cerebra-spiral meningitis.
The People’s Method of Dealing with the Challenges
Just as we have mentioned earlier, the people’s literacy level is low and this is manifested in the way they perceive the above problems. A large proportion of the people interviewed tend to attribute this problem to the cosmic order saying that it is God that gives and guarantees health. Hence, they feel little or no sign of assuming responsibility for the problem. Thus their ignorance, borne out of their low income, have made them either uncooperative towards effort from outsiders to address the problem; or indifferent towards the problem altogether.
Most inhabitants employ the use of herbal medicine, known as maginin gargajia, in curing themselves of their ailment while still living under the same condition that had lead to their illness. Very little efforts are being made to improve the status quo. A very few of the population, however, try to keep their environment clean, but their efforts are being frustrated by the larger population who are nonchalant about the issue. And the number of Environmental officers detailed for enforcing environmental laws in the area is relatively small.
Efforts by Government, NGOs and others
An interview with the Environmental Officer in charge of Sabon Gari local government, Mallam Bashir Ibrahim, reveals that the Local Government in collaboration with the Kaduna state Environmental Protection agency (KEPA), every month, organizes a seven days House-to-house environmental inspection of all communities in the area, Muchia inclusive. The Local Government through its Health Department has Environmental Health Activities on the following areas;
1. inspection of industries
2. house-to-house inspection
3. market inspection
4. building inspection
5. control of air pollution (gaseous and dust)
6. water sanitation and treatment
7. meat inspection
8. regulatory premises inspection
9. health education
10. control of communicable disease
11. waste management (liquid and solid)
12. dying and death management [7]
Also, there is a legal instrument that gives the authorities the power to enforce Environmental Laws known as The Public Health Rule; defaulters are prosecuted. Environmental Officers usually hold meetings with community leaders to improve the situation.
The Local Government Health office usually holds meetings with KEPA every month to discuss environmental progress of the area.
The Kaduna State Government has also made a program for free medical care for pregnant women and children between ages 0-5
The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization (WHO) and other NGOs are making some efforts at Health education through printing of pamphlets and hand bills to be distributed to the people of the community.
Recommendations
Based on the foregoing findings, we make the following suggestions towards improving the above situation;
1. The drive towards environmental education should be doubled to have a wider reach and effect, for example, the mass media; television, radio etc should be put to use, using the local dialect as the means of communication;
2. There is the need for a comprehensive and regular environmental sanitation arrangement. The monthly seven days House-to-house arrangement is too far apart to be effective;
3. Roads should be constructed with good drainage system;
4. People should be compelled to always channel their gutters to the central drainage;
5. People should also be made to properly dispose off their generated wastes;
6. The drainage need to be rid-off of all the rubbish that are blocking their smooth flow; if possible, they should be fumigated for mosquitoes, germs and other micro bacterial;
7. The quality of water provided for the people should be improved by changing the water pipes and making water supply more regular;
8. The emission of pollutants by factories, cars and motorcycles should be properly regulated by enforcing international standards of emission;
9. The quality of health services rendered to the people should be improved;
10. The People should be encouraged to enroll in schools to reduce their level of illiteracy and ignorance; and
11. The quantity and quality of Environmental staff should be increased for a more effective coverage of the area.
Conclusion
The discussion thus far has been able to show the level of environmental consciousness of people in this part of the country. As has been made obvious, the environmental challenges and problems of the community are borne out of the people’s ignorant, indifferent and nonchalant attitude towards the use of the environment. Also the claims made by the Environmental Officers, as regards their efforts, are questionable because, if such efforts have been made earlier on, the situation would not have been as deplorable as we met it. Therefore the community, government and other stakeholders need to combine their energy, more purposefully and sincerely, towards reversing the status quo.
Reference:
1. “Environment’’, Merriam-Webster online dictionary,
<"http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/environment">, 6th august 2008.
2. Black H.C., Black’s Law Dictionary, 6th ed , west publishing co., USA, 1990
3. “Environment”, Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia,
4. Based on the data received from Sabon Gari Local Government Information Office.
5. Op. cit.
6. Based on the data received from Sabon Gari Local Government Health Office.
7. Op. cit.
thanx boss, keep the research on, luv ur job. dadah
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