Perceptions of Residents and Workers toward the Environmental Health Effects of a Dumpsite in Uyo, Nigeria

Godwin Edet Essoh, Joan Paul Udofot, Owoibohoeno King Udo — Wed, 11 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The research investigates the management of a public dumpsite and its effects on residents of Uyo village Road. The study employed the descriptive research design and is centered on Uyo Village Road dumpsite, located along Akpayak-Nduetong Community in Uyo Local Government Area. Simple random sampling technique was deployed to select a sample size of 150 residents of the adjourning communities from the population of 250 people. The researchers structured a questionnaire titled “Uyo Village Road Dumpsite Management and its effects on Residents’ Questionnaire (UVRDAERQ) for data collection. The data gathered were analysed using mean statistics and standard deviation, while one sample t-test was employed to test the null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. From the results of findings, it was revealed that, there is a significant effect of dumpsite/ waste management planning on the health conditions of Uyo village road residents. Also, there is a negative and significant impact of siting of Uyo village road dumpsite on health and economic life of residents of the Area. In addition, the availability or adoption of dumpsite management practices exerted a significant effect on Uyo village road dumpsite and its environment. The study observes that observes that open dumpsites tend to be the most prevailing form of waste disposal in most developing countries including Nigeria. In these places, absence of proper waste management policies and strategies has led to indiscriminate dumping of waste. The failure of sustained waste management system in sanitary landfills in Nigeria has led to the spread of different kind of diseases such as Malaria, typhoid, cholera, dysentery and many others, posing threats to human health, as well as the contamination of land, air, water bodies and the environment. From the results, the study recommends that, timely and proper dumpsite/ waste management planning should be devised, adopted by the government to boost waste collection, resource availability and recycling methods. Actions should be taken towards the relocation of some dumpsites to mitigate the adverse effects of residents’ proximity to it. Proactive strategies should be adopted, implemented and enforced for a sustainable dumpsite management practice to curb its deficiencies. The amenable and identified factors, challenges and problems affecting proper management of dumpsites and their ecosystem should be revisited and evaluated to address their defects.

International Journal of Democracy and Development Studies

Perceptions of Residents and Workers toward the Environmental Health Effects of a Dumpsite in Uyo, Nigeria