CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.0 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Waste can be described as an inevitable by-product of most human activity. Economic development and alarming living standards in the Calabar have led to increases in the quantity and complexity of generated waste, although industrial diverseness and the supply of expanded health-care facilities have added considerable quantities of industrial dangerous, unsafe waste and biomedical waste into the waste stream with possibly severe environmental and human health consequences.
Domestic Waste is waste, which is either solid or liquid generated in residential areas, Commercial settings and institutions. Generally, the team waste is described as an unwelcomed as it is clearly undesirable. It is nonetheless an inescapable and built-in product of social, economic and cultural life. Domestic waste is any undesirable or discarded materials from residential activities which lead to environmental, social and health challenges. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines waste as” something which the owner no longer wants at a given time and space which has no current or perceived market value”. According to Ikhuoria (2002), waste is refuse, garbage, ashes and rubbish that are gotten from places human and animal reside. He further separated waste elements into two – decomposable refuse and non-decomposable refuse. Kimberly (2005) led a study on composition of waste in Florida State, United States of America, in his study, he made a grouping of wastes on the basis of the material composition, these involves garbage, or food waste, paper, glass, cars and other household wastes.
Of all the environmental problems facing the nation, the most pronounced and most demeaning and the one which has continuously been engaged as blackmail to us as environmentalists is the municipal waste evacuation problems. Homes towns and cities have their most disastrous impact not through what they take in but what they waste.
The haphazard evacuation of waste, both liquid and solid, negatively alters the present human environment by demeaning the natural phenomena thereby, bringing to bear health risk to vulnerable population. Health risks may be carried through various mediums together with flies, dogs, rodent and others that scavenge on the waste. In this research, the most practical ways of controlling solid and liquid waste at household and community levels are discussed in detail. Withal, appreciable significance is given to solid waste management systems. The various technologies for proper evacuation of solid wastes are listed.
This paper will be centered on the challenges of domestic waste evacuation in Calabar Metropolis, Nigeria with emphasis on the forms of waste generated, method of waste evacuation, rating of sanitation enforcement in the markets and factors that discourage sanitation in the markets.
1.1 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Domestic waste evacuation is one of the significant environmental challenges faced in Calabar metropolis. The amount of waste evacuation in some selected areas have massively increased over time due to some factors like population growth and the ineptitude of conventional waste management authorities to clear these waste from the environment on time. The unsystematic handling of domestic waste has led to the littering of various kinds of waste materials in Calabar, thus making it to look messy and loose its creative and incentive value. A number of these waste materials are evacuated into drainage channels and river channels. This has led to the blockage of these channels and subsequent flooding in the area during raining season and consequent road and infrastructure deterioration. Organic domestic wastes specifically constitute serious health risk, since they ferment creating conditions favorable to the survival and growth of microbial pathogens. They are dangerous and harmful, if they are crisscrossed with human excreta due to poor sanitation if waste is evacuated improperly, for example, ground water used for drinking purposes can become chemically or microbiologically polluted. Direct dumping of untreated waste in rivers, lakes or seas can also result in the pile up of hazardous substance in the food chain due to their uptake by plants and animals. Thus this work becomes necessary in the study area as a living environment.
1.2 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
The aim of this study is to ascertain the challenges of domestic waste evacuation in Calabar metropolis. The aim may be achieved through the following objectives;
1. To evaluate the performance of the waste evacuation agencies in Calabar.
2. To examine the problems associated with improper evacuation of domestic waste.
3. To proffer solutions to the problems of waste evacuation in the Calabar.
4. To examine if the current level of domestic waste evacuation in Calabar Metropolis has a positive or negative impact on residents.
1.3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
1. What is the performance of the waste evacuation agencies in Calabar?
2. What are the problems associated with improper evacuation of domestic waste?
3. What are the solutions to the problems of waste evacuation in the Calabar?
1.3 Research Hypothesis
H0: The current level of domestic waste evacuation in Calabar Metropolis has negative impact on residents.
1.4 Justification of the Study
This study will look intensively on the challenges of domestic waste evacuation in Calabar metropolis. It will be beneficial to stakeholders in the educational sector such as teachers, parents, students, school management, and ministries of education, educational researchers, and the society at large.
This study is essential for several reasons: It contributes to an understanding of the current state of the waste evacuation in Calabar metropolis and the country, providing insights into whether the current state has positively or negatively impacted the country. The study can serve as a valuable resource for students, scholars seeking to research more on the topic in question.
Educational researchers will see it as an addition to the literature on challenges of domestic waste evacuation in Calabar metropolis; giving them a concise and significant outlook of the topic. The recommendations will enhance evacuation process.
Similarly, it is hoped that the results of this study will provide an insight to, Calabar residents, Nigerians to improve more on the current level of domestic waste evacuation to perfection.
1.5 Scope of the Study
The scope of the study is limited to challenges of domestic waste evacuation in Calabar metropolis only. The study was carried out in Calabar Metropolis. The study will be carried out among Calabar residents. The study made use of both primary and secondary data. Questionnaires will be distributed and used for data collection from respondents.
