CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

The rise of the motor vehicle and the large-scale exploitation of petroleum created a need for retail outlets where fuel could be sold conveniently to motorists, and petrol service stations were established at strategic points to meet that need. Demand for petroleum products has continued to grow despite advances in alternative fuels, and the number of filling stations is expected to keep rising as a result (Jia et al., 2022). In Nigeria, the expansion has been especially visible in urban areas, where population growth, rapid urbanisation and rising vehicle ownership have encouraged both established firms and independent marketers to enter petrol retailing (Jia et al., 2022).

Much of this expansion has taken place with little attention to where stations are placed. Studies from Nigerian cities link the haphazard siting of stations to land pressure, the conversion of land to other uses, and weak monitoring by regulatory agencies (Arokoyu et al., 2015; Jia et al., 2022). This is a sustainability concern: economic activity that is not planned alongside its environmental consequences can degrade the very systems on which urban life depends. Decision-makers therefore need sound spatial evidence on the environmental effects of retail developments such as fuel stations.

Petroleum is a naturally occurring mixture of hydrocarbons extracted from beneath the earth’s surface. It serves as a primary source of energy for transport and electricity generation and as a feedstock for plastics, paints, fertilisers, pharmaceuticals and many construction materials. Modern urban economies, and the aspirations of developing countries in particular, are closely tied to the continued availability of petroleum products.

Petrol stations retail highly flammable products such as petrol, diesel and kerosene, and many now also sell liquefied petroleum gas. Because of this, their placement relative to homes, schools, health facilities, roads and other stations matters a great deal. Poorly sited stations have been linked to fires and explosions in Nigeria, among them a gas filling station explosion in Lafia, Nasarawa State, in 2018 that reportedly killed nine people (Jia et al., 2022). Closer to the study area, a gas plant in a residential part of Effurun exploded in February 2023, damaging nearby buildings and injuring residents (Idowu, 2023). The environmental effects of station location are therefore far from negligible, and they can only be properly established through a systematic spatial impact assessment.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

More than half of the world’s population now lives in cities, and the urban share is projected to rise to about 68 per cent by 2050 (United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2019). Rapid urban growth exposes cities to traffic congestion, pollution, accidents, fire and explosion, particularly where development is poorly coordinated. A city’s vulnerability to these hazards depends on its level of development, its capacity to cope, and how effectively development control is applied. In many urban areas, intense demand for land leads to the unauthorised conversion of land use, and filling stations end up in locations that are unsuitable and exposed to hazards (Arokoyu et al., 2015; Jia et al., 2022). The seriousness of the resulting problems depends on factors such as location, plot size and setback from the road.

Residents living near filling stations often endure noise, congestion, air pollution, fuel odours and other traffic-related nuisances, and these worsen during fuel scarcity, when long queues form, or when stations ignore planning standards. Research in Ghana found that people living closest to stations reported exposure to noise and air pollution, fuel spillage and emotional stress, and attributed non-compliance with safe-distance guidelines to weak enforcement (Dongzagla et al., 2023). Vehicles parked or queuing indiscriminately also narrow carriageways that should serve traffic and pedestrians, which is a particular difficulty in commercial districts with dense land use. The outcomes are traffic congestion, lost productive time and delayed journeys.

Evidence from Nigerian cities points to widespread failure to meet siting standards. In Anambra State, for example, compliance with land-space and setback requirements was low (Ulasi et al., 2020), while a Niger Delta study that included Warri found that stations met only 6 of 17 regulatory location specifications, with Warri recording the weakest compliance among the three cities studied (Jia et al., 2022). Compliance levels differ from one town to another (Yunus, 2019; Ekpenyong et al., 2019), which makes locally specific evidence necessary. For Uvwie Local Government Area, a fast-growing urban area adjoining Warri, empirical work on the spatial pattern and impacts of petrol stations remains limited, and the problems described above persist because planning regulations are not followed.

This study therefore applies Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques to analyse the spatial distribution of petrol stations in Uvwie Local Government Area, Delta State, to identify areas where stations are concentrated, and to propose ways of enforcing planning laws and regulations on station location.

1.3 Aim and Objectives of the Study

The study aims to assess the spatial distribution and locational impact of petrol service stations on the environment, to identify the physical development problems they cause, and to propose improvements, using Uvwie Local Government Area as a case study.

The specific objectives are to:

1. determine the locations of petrol service stations in the study area;
2. determine how close the stations are to residential buildings and to public and semi-public institutions;
3. establish the effects of the location of petrol service stations on the environment; and
4. recommend physical planning solutions to the problems identified.

1.4 Research Questions

The study is guided by the following questions:

1. Where are the petrol service stations in the study area located?
2. How close are the stations to residential buildings and to public and semi-public institutions?
3. What effects do the locations of the stations have on the environment?
4. What physical planning solutions can address the problems identified?

1.5 Scope of the Study

The study covers Uvwie Local Government Area only. It involves digitising satellite imagery of the area, producing a digital facility map, processing and analysing the spatial data, and presenting the findings in tables and maps. The analysis considers built-up areas exposed to noise and vapour emissions, using buffer distances of 60 m and 100 m for the proximity analysis of public institutions. These distances are consistent with risk-based studies that classify buildings within 100 m of a petrol station as moderately at risk of fire and explosion, and those within 50 m as at high risk (Wadembere & Apaco, 2020, as cited in Jia et al., 2022).

1.6 The Study Area

1.6.1 Location

Uvwie is a local government area of Delta State, Nigeria, located at about latitude 5°33′ N and longitude 5°47′ E (Figure 1.1). Effurun serves as its headquarters. Uvwie was created on 4 December 1996 from the former Okpe Local Government Area, at the same time as Udu Local Government Area.

1.6.2 Population

Uvwie is an urban settlement with a population of 188,728 according to the 2006 national census, spread across Effurun, Ekpan, Ugberikoko, Ugboroke, Ugbomro, Uredjo (Enerhen) and other communities. It covers about 95 km² and has a population density of roughly 1,986.6 persons per km².

1.6.3 Climate

Effurun, the administrative centre of Uvwie, has two seasons in the year. The wet season starts around the end of March, when tropical maritime air dominates, and often ends abruptly in November. The dry season begins with the arrival of tropical continental air, which prevails from December to February; December and January are generally the coolest and driest months. Rainfall peaks in September at an average of about 220 mm, while December is the driest month at about 5 mm (Figure 1.2). Temperatures vary little over the year and typically range between 25 °C and 28 °C.

1.6.4 Geology and Soil

The area is underlain by recent sediments of post-Cretaceous age. Its main soil types reflect the combined influence of climate, vegetation, parent material and topography, and include hydromorphic soils that are seasonally or permanently waterlogged. Poor drainage shows in the whitish or greyish soil colours produced by the reduction of oxides. The depth to which the seasonally waterlogged soils develop is limited by the permanent water table.

1.6.5 Vegetation

The vegetation comprises mangrove and freshwater swamp forest. Mangrove forest is an edaphic community found on muddy coastal shores, tidal swamps and associated creeks and lagoons, and it is shaped mainly by soil conditions such as distance from the sea, flooding frequency and duration, salinity, soil aeration and fertility. Because these conditions change from place to place, several edaphic communities are recognised, including peat swamp, freshwater swamp, riparian tidal forest and mangrove forest, which explains why both mangrove and freshwater vegetation occur in the area. The flora consists of trees and shrubs, and red mangrove (Rhizophora) is the dominant genus. Palms and lianas occur where the original vegetation has been cleared and replaced by dense secondary forest, and where the forest has been disturbed, raphia palm spreads rapidly and can dominate the swamp valley.

1.6.6 Socio-cultural Setting

Uvwie is one of the Urhobo kingdoms and has a traditional ruler, the Ovie, who heads the traditional institution. It is a gateway into and out of Warri. The indigenous Uvwie people are organised into four quarters, each headed by a traditional administrator called the Umuevworo, with the Ovie as paramount ruler. The area is densely populated and has a number of well-known hotels, including Wellington Hotel, Hotel Excel, Mega Hilton Hotel and Casa De Pedro Hotel. Educational institutions include the Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun, the Petroleum Training Institute, Effurun, and the Warri Business School. Oil and gas companies and facilities include the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Chevron, the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company at Ekpan, and Niger Cat. Other facilities include the Effurun army barracks, Uvwie Modern Market, and the Centre for Peace International and Mediation.

1.7 Justification of the Study

Spatial analysis of where petrol stations are and how they are distributed supports a healthier urban environment for living, working and recreation. Indiscriminate siting of stations is occurring at a rapid pace in many Nigerian cities (Jia et al., 2022; Oyinloye & Abiola, 2021), and Uvwie is no exception. The study will provide a reference framework for the Delta State Government, regulators and other stakeholders, and will guide developers, individuals and planning authorities in deciding where new stations should be approved in Uvwie and elsewhere in Nigeria. Its GIS-based mapping and proximity analysis also provide a spatial baseline that regulatory agencies can use to monitor compliance with siting standards and to target enforcement.

References

Arokoyu, S. B., Ogoro, M., & Jochebed, A. (2015). Petrol filling stations location and minimum environmental safety requirements in Obio-Akpor LGA, Nigeria. International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology, 2, 21–39.

Dongzagla, A., Baddianaah, I., et al. (2023). Conformity of filling stations to safe distance guidelines in urban Ghana: A case study of the Wa Municipality. Cogent Social Sciences. https://doaj.org/article/589be4bb9f8844328994437ed2e42ddc

Ekpenyong, R. E., Shaibu, M. E., & Etim, E. R. (2019). Geospatial analysis and assessment of the distribution of petrol stations in Uyo capital city, Nigeria to safeguard human and environmental health. International Journal of Social Sciences, 13, 82–102.

Idowu, S. (2023, February 22). No death recorded as gas explosion rocks Delta community. ThisDay. https://www.thisdaylive.com/2023/02/22/no-death-recorded-as-gas-explosion-rocks-delta-community/

Jia, N., Nwaogazie, I. L., & Mmom, P. (2022). Assessment of locational compliance status of petroleum products handling facilities in Niger Delta Region, Nigeria. Journal of Environmental Protection, 13(10), 750–765. https://doi.org/10.4236/jep.2022.1310048

Oyinloye, M. A., & Abiola, O. E. (2021). Locational impact of petrol filling stations close to residential buildings in Ife Central, Nigeria. International Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 8, 29–36. https://doi.org/10.14445/23942703/IJHSS-V8I2P106

Ulasi, J. O., Uwadiegwu, B. O., & Okoye, C. O. (2020). Assessment of the level of compliance of petroleum filling stations to development control standards on land space/size and setbacks in Anambra State. Civil and Environmental Research, 12, 77–87.

United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. (2019). World urbanization prospects: The 2018 revision (ST/ESA/SER.A/420). United Nations.

Wadembere, I., & Apaco, J. (2020). Urban spatial risk assessment of fire from fueling stations on buildings, case study: Lubaga Division, Kampala City, Uganda. Journal of Building Construction and Planning Research, 8, 57–72. https://doi.org/10.4236/jbcpr.2020.81005

Yunus, S. (2019). Analysis of locational compliance and fire safety preparedness among petrol filling stations in Dutse town, Jigawa State. Confluence Journal of Environmental Studies, 1, 107–118.