Investigation of the Levels of Particulate Matter Concentrations in Minna, Niger State

Abstract

Over the last couple of decades, interest has been centred on environmental pollution and climate change issues all over the world. This study was designed and executed such that an appropriate town-gown synergy advocacy could evolve. Thus, the objectives of this study are to help prepare the framework for a particulate matter pollution database and to help build the nucleus for an environmental awareness advocacy programme to be funded and executed by the Niger State Government. Co-ordinate identification for this study was facilitated by the use of hand-held Global Positioning System (GPS) units. The core field equipment employed for this study is the particulate level meter and the main component of the device is the particulate sensor that detects the presence of particulate matter when they fall on it. Stations of interest that were identified were appropriately geo-referenced and marked in the conventional way. The stations were re-visited with the particulate level equipment whence information about the sources of particulate matter and their corresponding values were logged progressively from one point to the next. For each type of source of particulate matter pollution two values were taken independent of one another. All the stations occupied for this survey (about 11,408 domestic and commercial locations) indicate particulate matter emission levels greater than the internationally-recommended safe threshold of 0.100mg/m3. The Geographic Information System (GIS) tool was employed in the analysis of the full body of the dataset acquired for this study with the core objective of producing a particulate matter pollution layer for Minna. Thus at the click of a mouse, information about the particulate matter pollution signature for Minna could readily be assessed. From the particulate matter pollution map, it is observed that the Barkin-Sale, Minna Central, Soje and Tunga neighbourhoods have high red dot densities, whilst the dot densities for Sabon Gari and Sauka Kahuta neighbourhoods are sparsely distributed.