Science and Technology

Oil was first discovered in the Niger Delta in1956, and drilling began not long after. Butexcitement over the wealth “black gold”would bring to Nigeria waned as the effects ofoil spillage caused by neglect, mismanagementand sabotage of pipelines began to take their toll.According to the countrys Department of PetroleumResources, between 1976 and 1996, 4,647incidents resulted in the spill of approximately2.37 million barrels of oil into the deltas mangrove-filled wetlands and the Atlantic Ocean.Only 549,060 barrels of this – just 23 percent –was recovered through cleanup efforts. Since thelate 1990s, pipeline problems have persisted, andmore oil has joined the nearly 2 million barrelsstill soaking into the regions ecology. Unfortunately,when it comes to cleaning up oil spills,time is of the essence. Oil thins out the longer itremains in water – a huge obstacle when it comesto collection by cleanup crews. Once coated inhydrocarbons, plant, animal and aquatic life willsuffocate; there is a limited window for rescue.