Poor disposal of waste is a critical environmental and public health issue in fast-growing urban cities in Africa, particularly in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, where the population has increased and industrialisation has outpaced the waste management infrastructure. This research aimed to determine the ecological risks posed by unchecked waste management systems in Port Harcourt, employing a three-step strategy that combined quantitative surveys, qualitative observations, and laboratory tests to inform its conclusions. Residents, waste-management officials, and public-health professionals were interviewed, and this was supplemented by physicochemical tests and heavy-metal tests of thirty borehole waters. Results showed that household and commercial wastes constituted the leading generation patterns, where open dumping (7.9%) and burning (7.9%) were common, as collection was irregular and disposal was expensive. Laboratory tests indicated an increase in Electrical Conductivity (600-860 μS/cm), Total Dissolved Solids (270-490 mg/L), BOD (13-31mg/L), and COD (45-63mg/L), which is an indication of an extreme infiltration of leachate. The concentrations of Pb (0.047 mg/L) and Cd (0.0032 mg/L) were significantly above the WHO limits, indicating groundwater contamination. Laboratory data were supported by community perceptions and health data, which displayed an association between waste exposure and respiratory, skin, and gastrointestinal diseases. In the above Risk Assessment Matrix, groundwater pollution, air contamination, and the risk to (or harm to) people were identified as high-risk outcomes. The paper concludes that the ecological deterioration of Port Harcourt is a result of inadequacies in infrastructure and regulatory inconsistencies. It suggests minimising risks and strengthening the urban environment by using engineered landfills, implementing leachate management, conducting regular collection, promoting community recycling, and monitoring groundwater levels regularly.
Onosemuode et al. (Mon,) studied this question.