AN EXAMINATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT (EIA) AS A PLANNING TOOL FOR EFFECTIVE PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT IN NASARAWA STATE

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AN EXAMINATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT (EIA) AS A PLANNING TOOL FOR EFFECTIVE PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT IN NASARAWA STATE

ABSTRACT

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is broadly defined as a systematic process that proactively examines the potential consequences of development actions. As a planning process, the longer-term objectives of EIA are to contribute to sustainable development of the environment. EIA cannot meet its sustainability objectives without a systematic follow-up program. The aim of this study is to examine the Environmental Impact Assessment as a planning tool for effective property development in Nasarawa state. To achieve this objectives are to predict environmental impacts of construction projects due to land use change or modifications, to examine the environmental costs and benefits before construction projects are started, to reduce adverse impacts during the construction phase and to ensure that the environmental considerations are explicitly addressed and incorporated into the development and decision-making process.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1       Background of The Study

Ever since the 1972 Stockholm UN conference on the Human Environment, which established the nexus between under development and environmental integrity, environmental issues have become transnational. Awareness has generated of the devastating impact of uncontrolled exploitation of environmental resources. The threat to wild-life, ecosystem, fauna and flora and indeed the security of the human race has created organisations whose primary goals and objectives are the protection and preservation of the environment.

Furthermore, the 1992 UN conference on Environment and Development, otherwise known as the “Earth Summit” of Rio de Jeneiro generated an action plan for sustainable development in the 21st century, which has become the policy instrument that drives environmental programmes in most developed countries. Sustainable development was defined broadly as the ability of the present generation to meet its needs without compromising the potentials of the future generations to meet theirs. In fact Principle 3 of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development provides that “The right to development must be fulfilled so as to equitably meet developmental and environmental needs of present and future generations”.

Yet, in the bid to develop via industrialization, developing countries are constrained to pursue the same development models whose fall out assault and degrade the environment. How to develop creatively, without compromising the native integrity of the environment now constitutes a major challenge.

Environmental Impact Assessment is the perceived tool for achieving the desired balance. Nigeria is one of the few developing countries that have specific relevant legislation and therefore this paper assesses Nigeria¡¦s Environmental Impact Assessment Act 1992 and its practical relevance as an environmental management tool especially in respect of core infrastructure projects.

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a process to assess the environmental consequences of any project and design proper mitigation plans to minimise the possible adverse impacts. It is a process of identification, prediction, evaluation, and mitigation of biophysical, social and other relevant effects of developmental activity on environment prior to make commitment is. EIA is used to identify, predict, evaluate and mitigate the environmental, social and other potential impacts and consequences of projects prior to major decisions being taken and commitments made to recommend suitable mitigation measures and to decrease possible adverse impacts. It is a good management tool to predict the type, magnitude and probability of environmental and social changes likely to occur as direct or indirect result of a plan or policy and to decrease adverse impacts.

Environmental Impact Assessment is usually considered as the appraisal of impacts that any developmental activity may affect on the environment. Environmental impacts may be positive or negative, harmful of beneficial. EIA process implemented prior to any developmental project in order to ensure that no adverse impact will be faced by the environment. Indian construction industry is rapidly growing. Major environmental impacts of construction projects are habitat destruction, loss of arable land, loss of biodiversity, waste disposal, pollution, desertification, soil erosion and material wastage etc. Human activities are both beneficial and harmful for environment such as biological, cultural, social, economic impacts and so on and they must be taken into consideration when the development projects or plans are evaluated. According to International Association for Impact Assessment Act, the purpose of EIA process is to ensure the decision makers and consider all expected impacts of any project and their effects when deciding a project. In this view, EIA process should be used as a decision making tool rather than decision aiding tool. EIA method helps in providing a guideline to select and design the project, plan or activity with long term viability and to improve cost effectiveness.

1.2       Statement of the Problem

Since independence Nigeria is experiencing various socio-economic problems with housing the poor people and infrastructural development being one of the most prominent issues in this regard. There exists a serious need to provide the poor and marginalized people with housing in a country that has experienced democracy for over forty years already. The National Government is aware of the housing and infrastructural backlog, and makes resources available for property development in and around main urban areas in the different state or cities of our country, the next step is to conduct a full environmental impact assessment (EIA) in order to determine the various impacts that such a project would have on the environment. An EIA is conducted to determine whether the available sites are suitable for developing such projects, and to determine what the proposed impact would be on the environment if such a project received the green light to proceed. For projects like these to materialize there are various environmental, social and economic factors that need to be considered. A full EIA process is therefore a prerequisite to identify all the above mentioned factors and to make recommendations on the findings of the assessment, which is done by a qualified Environmental Assessment Practitioner (EAP). It is against this background that this project seeks to examine the Environmental Impact Assessment as a planning tool for effective property development in Nasarawa state.

1.3       Aim and Objectives of the Study

The aim of this study is to examine the Environmental Impact Assessment as a planning tool for effective property development in Nasarawa state.

            The specific objectives of the study include:

1. To predict environmental impacts of construction projects due to land use change or modifications.
2. To examine the environmental costs and benefits before construction projects are started.
3. To reduce adverse impacts during the construction phase.
4. To ensure that the environmental considerations are explicitly addressed and incorporated into the development and decision-making process.
5. To protect the productivity and capacity of natural systems.

1.4       Research questions

The basic research question of this study is:

1. How can one predict environmental impacts of construction projects due to land use change or modifications?
2. What are the environmental costs and benefits of construction projects?
3. How does one reduce adverse impacts of a property development during the construction phase?
4. How do you ensure that the environmental considerations are explicitly addressed and incorporated into the development and decision-making process.
5. How do you protect the productivity and capacity of natural systems?

1.5       Significance of the Study

Environmental impact assessment (EIA) has been recognised by international institutions, governments, non-governmental organisations and other agencies as an essential tool that can be used to achieve sustainable development. According to WCED (1987), EIA is potentially an important instrument for furthering sustainability in public and private decision making. Furthermore, public participation is generally recognised as an important instrument used in facilitating the sustainability of projects (Doelle & Sinclair, 2006).

The findings of this study will be of great importance to government agency shouldered with the responsibility of making laws as it will guide them towards making legislation that will be environmental friendly.

Property developers and investors in real estate development will also find this research useful as will serve as guiding principles and an eye opener towards the relevance of conducting environmental impact assessment of any developmental project the one to embark on.

Finally, the research will great contribute to the wealth of knowledge, as researchers and students will use it as a base for further research into environmental impact assessment and other related topics.

1.6       Scope and Limitation of the Study

The scope of this project is limited to an examination of Environmental impact assessment as a planning tool for effective property development in Nasarawa state. The study will be limited to theoretical review of relevant literatures on the EIA and how it will serve as a tool for effective property development in Nasarawa.

1.7      Background of the Study Area

The creation of present-day Nasarawa State owes its origin to the British creation of Nasarawa Province in 1902. Nasarawa was at first called the Lower Benue Province in 1900, but after the formal submission of the Emir of Nasarawa in 1902, the name of the Province was changed to Nasarawa and the capital was moved from Akpanaja to Nasarawa town.

Following the re-organisation of the Northern Provinces in 1926, Plateau Province was created out of the Provinces of Muri, Nasarawa and Bauchi. Some of the groups that were formally under Nasarawa Province were transferred to Plateau while others were incorporated into Benue Province. In May 1967, Benue and Plateau Provinces were merged to form Benue-Plateau State, one of the twelve states that the Military Administration of General Yakubu Gowon divided Nigeria in place of the four previously existing regions. When the country was further divided into nineteen states in 1976, Benue-Plateau State was split into Plateau and Benue States. In October 1996, Nasarawa state was created out of the western half of Plateau State with its capital in Lafia.

Nasarawa State is centrally located in the Middle Belt region of Nigeria. The state lies between latitude 7°Â 45′ and 9°Â 25’ N of the equator and between longitude 7°Â and 9°Â 37′ E of the Greenwich meridian. It shares boundary with Kaduna state in the North, Plateau State in the East, Taraba and Benue states in the south while Kogi and the Federal Capital Territory flanks it in the West. The state has a total land area of 26,875.59 square kilometers and a population of about 1,826,883, according to the 2006 population Census estimate with a density of about 67 persons per square kilometer.

Nasarawa State is made up of thirteen Local Government Areas, namely, Akwanga, Awe, Doma, Karu, Keana, Kokona, Lafia, Nasarawa, Nasarawa Eggon, Obi, Toto, Wamba and Keffi. The people of Nasarawa state includes among others; the Gwandara, Alago, Eggon, Gbagi, Egbira, Migili, Kantana, Fulani, Hausa, Kanuri, Tiv, Afo, Gade, Nyankpa, Koro, Jukun, Mada, Ninzam, Buh, Basa, Agatu, Arum, Kulere, and also settler groups like the Igbo, Yoruba and Hausa.

PHYSIOGRAPHY

The general topography of Nasarawa State is that of hills/ dissected terrain, undulating plains and lowlands. A look at the state from the south to the north shows that the southern local government areas of Awe, Doma, Nasarawa and Toto are bounded by the river Benue in the south. Its valley and troughs extend inland for some 30 kilometers and it is made up of flood plains lying generally below 250 metres. The flood plains further protrude inland along the coast of rivers Dep, Mada, Guma, Ayini and Farin Ruwa which are the major rivers draining into the river Benue. The area consists of very fertile alluvial soil deposited by the seasonal flood of river Benue.

The hydromorphic soil provides a generally level plain, except where it is broken by the folded features of Awe to the south east and those of Toto to the south west. The flood plains cover some 25 per cent of the state landmass. The flood plains give way to a rolling topography which is quite extensive and it covers about 52 per cent of Nasarawa State. The undulating plain has a general altitude of about 400 meters above sea level with notable inselberg occurrences. The soils in this region are those of sandstones derived from old sedimentary rocks with extensive occurrences of lateritic crust. Hills and dissected terrains occupy a sizeable portion of Nasarawa state and are scattered all over the land mass with height range of between 600 – 1200 meters. The northern part of the state has a greater concentration with the Monkwa hills in the northeast and the Mada rolling hills stretching from Wamba through Akwanga down to Nasarawa Eggon local government areas. The Rafin gabas hills are a prominent feature in Kokona L.G.A., while the north western borders of the state are flanked by hill ranges. In the southern part of the state, high relief features also occurs in Toto and Awe local government areas. Soils at the foot of these hills are mostly volcanic in nature and therefore loamy and rich, while the higher grounds are characterized by thin soil.

The physical features of the State are partly mountainous, some of which are rocky and of undulating highlands to average height of about 1,400m above sea level.

Areas such as Nasarawa, Nassarawa Eggon, Wamba, Keffi and Akwanga are generally hilly and rocky, while areas such as Lafia, Doma, Awe and Keana are fairly of plain terrains. The river Benue has its tributaries covering other parts of the State.

CLIMATE

The State has a climate typical of the tropical zone because of its location and is quite pleasant. It has a maximum and minimum temperature of 81.7ᵒ F and 16.7ᵒ F respectively. Rainfall varies from 131.73cm in some places to 145cm in others. The months of December, January and February are cold due to harmattan wind blowing across the State from the North-East. It is characterized by two distinct seasons: dry and rainy. The dry season spans from November to February, while the rainy season is from March to October.

MINERAL RESOURCES Nasarawa state is richly endowed with a variety of solid minerals of various categories ranging from precious metals to various gemstones and also industrial minerals such as barites, gypsum, kaolin and marble. Much of these are yet to be exploited. Statistically, the level of exploitation of these minerals is very low in relation to the extent of deposits found in the state. One of the objectives of this administration is to ensure the orderly exploration and exploitation of the mineral resources of the state.

There are tremendous opportunities for investments in the solid mineral sector and some of the mineral resources that are found in Nasarawa state are yet to be fully exploited. These minerals include among others, coal and tin, iron ore, limestone, niobium, lead and zinc.

 COAL

High-medium volatile bituminous coals with vitrinite reflectivity in the range of 0.70 to 1.20 per cent occur within the Awgu Formation and widely exposed in outcrops along the bank of River Dep at Shankodi near Jangwa and in the Obi-Agwatashi-Jangerigeri areas. These coal deposits are of the best quality in Nigerian and have been assessed to be suitable for coke making in steel manufacture. The vitrinite reflectance values of the coals (0.70 to 1.20 per cent) also fall within the oil generation window. Coal beds are now widely known to be a major source of oil and gas and are becoming increasingly exploration targets for hydrocarbon accumulations in many parts of the world.

BARYTES

Barytes is the chief constituent of lithopone paint and it is also extensively used as an inert volume and weight filler in drilling mud, rubber, glass, paper and in the chemical industry. Veins of barytes up to 1.8m wide and more than a kilometer long are associated with lead-zinc lodes in many parts of Nasarawa State. The principal known occurrences are at Azara, Aloshi, Akiri, Wuse and Keana. Reserves of about 100,000 tonnes of good quality barytes have been discovered in Azara by the Nigerian Mining Corporation.

LEAD AND ZINC

Lead is used in the manufacture of cable coverings, pigments and storage batteries. Other uses of zinc include galvanizing steel plate, the manufacture of brass and other alloys, rubber vulcanizing, and the production of pigments and certain medicines and chemicals. Lead and zinc deposits occur within the sedimentary successions at Arufu, Akwana, Azara, Keana and Awe.

PRECIOUS METALS

Precious metals are a valuable source of foreign exchange and their exploitation in a large scale can also promote the establishment of other ancillary industries in Nasarawa state. In Nasarawa State, some quantities of gold deposits occur in pegmatite-quartz veins within Precambrian basement rocks in Wamba. The Metasedimentary rocks in Toto, Udegbe, Gadabuke, Laminga and Nasarawa are also contains some gold deposits with mode of occurrence similar to those in Schist Belts.

GEMSTONES

Like the precious metals, gemstones can be an important source of income for Nasarawa state. There are varieties of gemstones and the important ones in terms of quantity are aquamarine, emeralds, sapphire, ruby, topaz, tourmaline, zircon and almandine. Most of the gemstones occur in pegmatites and quartz veins in rocks of the Basement Complex and Younger Granites in Nasarawa State.

 AGRICULTURAL RESOURCES

Given its abundant resources which range from soil based, agro resources and ecotourism, all that is needed for economic transformation is entrepreneurship, credit facilities and enhanced massive influx of foreign investment.

The State also has vast arable land for commercial farming, fishery development, wildlife and forestry conservation. Agriculture, therefore, is the mainstay of the economy of the State with over 70% of the population involved in subsistence farming.

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