Spatio-Temporal Analysis of Air Quality within the Circumference of Flared Pollutant Areas in Rivers and Bayelsa States, Nigeria

Oil and gas exploration is characterized with release of gases, particulates and other wastes in the form of gas flaring which have significant consequences on both humans and the environment. Gas flaring contributes to contamination and deterioration of the air quality of surrounding areas. Therefore, this study focuses on examining the spatial variation of air quality in the vicinity of gas flared areas in Rivers and Bayelsa States. The experimental research design was adopted while the data for this study was sourced principally from primary source particularly air quality parameters recorded at various sampled locations The data were analyzed using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA); and one sample t- test. The volume of pollutants at different times of the day shows significant reduction in its concentration with respect to distance from the flare sites at P<0.05. ANOVA also revealed that the spatial variation for gases in the two states under investigation was significant at the P<0.05 (CO- F=08.1310, sig = 0.00; NOx- F=09.0114, sig = 0.02; O3-F=06.0114, sig = 0.05; SO2-F=1.0211, sig = 0.21; CH4- F=06.1321, sig = 0.23; VOC- F= 17.2131, sig = 0.03; H2S -F=09.3112, sig = 0.01; PM2.5- F=12.8230, sig = 0.00).The one sample t test showed that there is a significant difference between pollutants measured and WHO standards at p<0.05 in both states. Consequently, periodic air quality monitoring and reporting, strict adherence to air quality standards, enforcement of regulatory thresholds and adoption of environmentally friendly technologies were recommended.