Evironmental, Health and Social Hazards of Fossil Fuel Electricity Generators: A Users’ Assessment in Kaduna, Nigeria
I. Mbamali, A.M. Stanley, I.K. Zubairu

Abstract
Users of fossil fuel generators for electric power supply to buildings in Kaduna metropolis of Nigeria, were engaged in the assessment of the associated environmental, health and social hazards. The study was effected mainly by field survey in which Kaduna metropolis was divided into twelve clusters and well structured questionnaire administered on a purposive sampling basis. The results show that: there is a massive use (89.9% of households) of the generators; users are aware and “agree” that there are associated environmental hazards (noise and air pollution, heat generation, threat to living organisms and defects to buildings); there are also health hazards (such as impaired hearing with 67.2% frequency of observation, sleeplessness 60.5%, choking sensation 55.4%, deafness 35.5%, dizziness 31.9% and impaired visibility 13.4%); and social hazards (mainly disturbance to neighbours for which 30% of users confirmed receipts of complaints). Conclusion was reached that these hazards are great concerns to both the generator users and their neighbours. Government was called upon to redouble efforts at providing adequate and uninterrupted electricity across the country and in the interim, put in place appropriate policies and implementation framework for regulating use of fossil fuel generators; as well as promote use of less hazardous alternatives such as the solar home systems.

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