Posted on November 3, 2025
A renowned Professor of Applied Geophysics, Professor Edmund Avieedo Atakpo, has warned that “unregulated sand dredging in the Niger Delta poses serious environmental risks, especially to groundwater resources.”
The don said this on Thursday while delivering the 114th Inaugural Lecture of the Delta State University (DELSU), Abraka.
Speaking on ‘Exploring the Wealth Beneath Our Feet: Are We Also Consciously Protecting the Underground Environment?,’ he added that the “continuous removal of surface materials exposes aquifers by stripping away protective clay and lateritic layers, increasing vulnerability to contamination from waste, oil residues, and runoff.”
This, he said “leads to groundwater quality deterioration and public health risks.”
Atakpo said that “effective regulation, environmental monitoring, and sustainable dredging practices are urgently needed to protect groundwater.”
Continuing, he said that “the underground environment comprising soil and groundwater systems forms a vital reservoir of freshwater that sustains life, agriculture, and human development, while also hosting valuable mineral resources,” stating that “sadly, this fragile system faces growing threats from hydrocarbon leaks, industrial effluents, mining wastes, and agricultural pollutants.
Adding: “Protection has been inadequate.”
Atakpo stated that “Safeguarding our underground environment demands sustainable practices, continuous monitoring, effective remediation, and strict regulatory enforcement through a multidisciplinary approach.
Meanwhile, while he said that protecting the underground environment is a task that must be done, he said that “crude oil spills pose severe environmental hazards in Nigeria’s Niger Delta, arising from equipment failure, corrosion, negligence, or vandalism.”
Citing Akpoghelie, the Inaugural Lecturer said that they pollute soils, reduce fertility, damage ecosystems, and contaminate groundwater, leading to health risks and loss of livelihoods.
Furthermore, he said that there was the need for “strong legal frameworks, institutional coordination, and strict policy implementation,” saying that “laws such as the Environmental Guidelines and Standards for the Petroleum Industry in Nigeria (EGASPIN), the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency(NESREA), and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) regulations must be fully enforced through mandatory EIAs, Environmental Management Plans (EMPs), improved monitoring, community participation, and collaboration among stakeholders.”
On ways to prevent and control hydrocarbon pollution, he called for regular infrastructure maintenance, advanced leak detection, secondary containment, sustainable technologies, and community engagement, stressing that these “are essential to prevent oil-related subsurface pollution, especially in the Niger Delta.”
On the management of industrial effluents and wastes, he said this will be done if industries operate Effluent Treatment Plants (ETPs) and adopt cleaner production technologies to ensure toxic effluents are properly treated before disposal.
To control agricultural pollution, he called on farmers to apply Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM) and Integrated Pest Management (IPM), stating that these will minimize fertilizer, pesticide, and waste runoff that contaminate groundwater.
Atakpo also hinted on the safe disposal of mining and solid wastes, just as he stated that to achieve these, there should be the use of lined tailing ponds, impermeable geomembranes, and conduct of regular groundwater monitoring at mining sites, stating that the re-vegetation of mined areas reduces erosion and supports long-term site restoration.
In order to protect and monitor groundwater, he called for the sealing of abandoned boreholes, proper siting of waste facilities and creation of well protected zones.
He added: “Continuous hydrochemical monitoring, geophysical surveys, and GIS-based early warning systems ensure timely detection and response.”
Continuing, he said that for effective groundwater restoration as stated by Akagbue and others in 2023, the combination of bioremediation, phytoremediation, soil washing, air sparging, permeable reactive barriers (PRBs), and chemical oxidation was the way to go.
He also called for public awareness and environmental education.
His words: “Promote environmental education and community awareness to discourage oil theft, poor waste disposal, and chemical misuse. Encourage all stakeholders to take deliberate action toward the protection of our underground environment and the wealth beneath our feet.”
Vice Chancellor, DELSU, Professor Samuel Asagba; Vice Chancellor, Mountain Top University, Prof. Elijah Ayolabi; Unuevworo of Umiaghwa Abraka Kingdom, Chief Nath Anho; Director, Administration, Delta State Judiciary Customary Court, Sir Austin Chiejina, JP, MSM and Dr. (Lady) Ofure Chiejina of Admiralty University, Ibusa, Delta State, were some of the dignitaries that graced the event.
