Global Journal of Human-Social Science, B: Geography, Environmental Science and Disaster Management, Volume 22 Issue 3

Oil Spills Cleanup Operations on Land and Inland Waters – The Mangroves Cleanup Philosophy Etuk Etiese Akpan Abstract- The Niger Delta region has witnessed several environmental pollutions arising from oil exploration and production activities Though crude oil production has its attendant high risks, it is one of the largest and most profitable businesses in the world, and in fact the main economic sustenance for Nigeria (Onayemi 2004,).. From its development phase to production phase, many disasters are bound to occur in the industries. Oil spill is the most important type of environmental disaster, which usually occurs. It has impact on humans as wells as on plants and wild life, including birds, fish and mammals. Sources of spill ranges from equipment failures, human errors, accidents, sabotage and illegal bunkering activities on the production facilities. (Oil theft, sabotage and spills. Good Industry operating and maintenance procedures is key to reducing incidents of oil spills in the environment. Prompt spill response management is a key success factor in reducing escalation of the attendant negative impacts on the environment by deploying a workable contingency plan suitable to the specific environment of importance. Keywords: oil spills; sources; impacts; niger delta region, mangroves, cleanup, land, water. I. I ntroduction il spill cleanup generally refers to the removal of spilled oil from the environment to protect and preserve the ecosystem where the incident had occurred. These may include containment, recovery, evacuation and remediation of the polluted area. Oil spill cleanup helps in facilitating speedy recovery and resuscitation of the polluted environment. Oil spill incidents are inevitable events in the areas where oil is explored, drilled and produced. These could occur either by willful damage by hoodlums, human errors, equipment failure and by an act of nature. The incidence of oil spillage constitutes serious economic and soil degradation in the Niger Delta. The area currently faces series of ecosystem depletion as most soil flora and fauna are destroyed. Oil spills from the activities in the oil industry in the region affect the environment in the operational areas, right of ways (ROW) and third party areas. These result from equipment failures, leaks from corroded equipment and vandalisation (sabotage). The spilled crude oil from the source, through a plausible transport mechanism and exposure pathway, gets to the receptors - soil, vegetation, surface and ground water, marine environment, animals and humans - and pollute the environmental media. Soil fertility, measured by physical, chemical and biological parameters, is adversely affected. Also the livelihood of the inhabitant of the area What ever the cause is, it is the corporate social responsibilities of the government and the oil operating companies to cleanup the areas impacted by crude oil as a result of their production activities. a) Statement of Problem Oil spills from several different sources are stigma to the environment and cause of concerns to all. The impact on the environment is massive with great degradation in the past decades. Areas of such impacts include contamination of water bodies, danger to aquatic life, destruction of flora and farmlands which includes resort centers, destruction of properties, loss of lives and many more. b) Objectives To maintain a better sustainable and viable environment through timely, effective and systematic cleanup operations when spills occur. c) The Scope The scope covers cleanup operations generally with emphasis on land spill cleanup, inland water spill cleanup and mangroves spill cleanup options. II. L iterature R eview Oil, as a significant factor affecting economic development and human life of most countries in the world. (Prendergast & Gschwend, 2014) has increased attendant risks associated with its production, however with significant benefits also for diverse locales, regions, and nations. Transportation, equipment failures, willful damages, aged equipment amongst others have been the major sources of oil spill into the environment. According to ITOPF (2021) statistical data report, statistics on tanker spills more than 7 tones have showed a substantial decline over the last half-century. However, tanker collisions resulted in roughly 10,000 tons of oil being lost to the environment in 2021. This is a significant increase over the prior two years, owing mostly to the one large occurrence oil spill accident reported. Nonetheless, despite significant technological O © 2022 Global Journals Volume XXII Issue III Version I 27 ( ) Global Journal of Human Social Science - Year 2022 B Author: Ph.D, Clean Nigeria Associates Limited/Gte, 18 Ken Wiwa Road (Stadium Road), Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. e-mail: etukcom@yahoo.com