Environmental Impact Assessment of Gas Flaring Emission (A Case Study of Eleme, River State

Abstract

The effect of gas flaring in Niger-Delta part of Nigeria, with Eleme as case study was investigated. The flared gas, resulted in contamination of nearby river water, atmosphere and the soil around the gas flared area. The results revealed that the nearby water might becomes unsafe for drinking as the pH of the water is as low as 5.96, which is considered to be lower than the WHO minimum allowable standard for drinking water (7- 8.5). The soil analysis also revealed that flared gas possibly increased the acidity of the soil from the pH of 6.1 to 5.5. These have led to the decision that flare gas influenced the river water, the soil, as well as the health conditions of the people, which may be responsible for poor yields of some fruit crops and poor health conditions of the people