Journal of Emerging Trends in Engineering and Applied Sciences: Research Areas

Abstract:
The study investigated the effect of human activities on the environment. Normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) was used as an indication of environmental degradation in the Western Niger Delta region for the past one-half decades. The bands used for the calculation of the NDVI of 1987 and 2002 were band 4 (infrared wavelength) and band 3 (red wavelength). The Land Use Land Cover (LULC) maps and NDVI analysis revealed that dense forest in 1987 covered 1089702.2 hectares and the built-up area was 42904.1ha. The dense forest value reduced to 987688.5 ha in 2002 and the built-up area slightly increased to 45423.8 ha. In 1987, wetland covered an area of 275917.7 hectares, but reduced to 130209.4 hectares in 2002. The LULC and NDVI of the area have shown that the area has been degraded, since the NDVI values (which depict the amount of green vegetation) decreased from 0.3 in 1987 to 0.2 in 2002. These can be attributed to the effect of hydrocarbon exploration and other anthropological changes in the study area. This work will help to alert all concerned on the devastation done to the environment and measures to take to curb further devastation.

Keywords: built-up area, electromagnetic radiation, exploration activities, sensor wavelength, wetland.

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