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Human Environment Interaction. Niger Delta-a region that contains most of Nigeria’s oil. In 2000, there was an explosion & fire spread along 1 mile of the pipeline. This accident cost thousands of lives & major environmental ruin in the region. . Sahel means “shore of the desert” in Arabic.
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Niger Delta-a region that contains most of Nigeria’s oil. • In 2000, there was an explosion & fire spread along 1 mile of the pipeline. • This accident cost thousands of lives & major environmental ruin in the region.
Sahel means “shore of the desert” in Arabic. • The Sahel is a narrow band of dry grassland that runs east to west along the southern edge of the Sahara. • People use the Sahel for farming & herding.
Since the 1960s, the desert has spread into the Sahel. • This shift of desert is called desertification. Desertification is an expansion of dry conditions into moist areas that are next to deserts.
Several human activities increase the pace of desertification. • Overgrazing of vegetation by livestock exposes the soil. • Animals also trample the soil, making it more vulnerable to erosion.
Farming also increases the pace of desertification. • Farmers clear land, expose soil to wind, can cause erosion. • When farmers drill for water to irrigate, put stress on the Sahel. • Drilling & irrigation increase salt levels in the soil, which prevent the growth of vegetation.
Increasing population levels are an indirect cause of desertification. • More people=more food. More food=more farming.
Discovery of oil in Nigeria in 1956 • Drilling for oil, the Nigerian government & foreign oil companies have often damaged the land & harmed the people living in the Niger delta.
Nigeria is the 6th leading oil exporter in the world. • 2 million barrels are extracted each day & much of it is shipped to the U.S.
During the 1970s, high oil prices made Nigeria one of the wealthiest nations in Africa. • The government borrowed heavily against the future sale of its oil. • BUT, prices fell & the Nigerian government owed millions to other nations, including the U.S.
Mismanagement, poor planning, corruption, & a decline in oil prices left Nigeria poorer than before the oil boom.
Damage by the oil companies & the Nigerian government has been severe. • 4,000 oil spills over the past 4 decades. • Cleanup operations are slow/non-existent.
Fires often result, causing acid rain & soot. • People in the region have contracted respiratory diseases.
Many of the explosions were not accidents but caused intentionally. • Bandits, in cooperation with corrupt government officials & the military, drain fuel from the pipelines & then resell it.
Egypt faces environmental challenges caused by water. • Egyptians tried to control the floodwaters of the Nile throughout history. • Egyptians built the 1st Aswan Dam in 1902.
Four miles upriver from the 1st Aswan Dam, the Egyptians cut a huge channel through the land beside the Nile River. • The builders used the rocks from the channel as a base for their new creation—the Aswan High Dam, which was completed in 1970.
Lake Nasser, which Egypt shares with Sudan, is the artificial lake created behind the dam. • It stretches nearly 300 miles!
The dam gives farmers a regular supply of water. • It holds the Nile’s floodwaters, releasing them as needed so that farmers can use the water effectively for irrigation.
As a result of the dam, farmers can have 2 or 3 harvests per year. • The dam has increased Egypt’s farmable land by 50%. • The dam has also helped Egypt avoid droughts & floods.
Problems With the Dam • During the dam’s construction, many people had to be relocated. • The dam decreased the fertility of the soil around the Nile. • The river no longer deposits its rich silt or sediment on the farmland. • Farmers must now rely on expensive fertilizers to enrich the soil.
Rates of malaria & other diseases have increased due to greater numbers of mosquitoes, which thrive on the still waters of Lake Nasser & the irrigation canals.
