Pipeline Vandalism: Expert Recommends Remote Sensing In Curbing Menace

As militants continue to attack oil installations in the Niger Delta despite military presence, a UK expert, Dr. Malcolm Whitworth, has recommended use of Remote Sensing in combating pipeline vandalism in Nigeria.

Whitworth gave this recommendation to the Nigerian Government during his lecture on “The role of remote sensing in engineering geology and environmental investigations” to geoscience professionals in Abuja.

The expert, who is an engineering geomorphologist from the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Portsmouth UK, urged the Federal Government to deploy remote sensing devices in the surveillance and protection of pipelines in the oil-rich Niger Delta region.

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Whitworth further said that the application of Remote Sensing could be used for “tracking the pipelines to identify any evidence of pollution; incidence of any linkages; evidence of any movement taking place as well as ground survey.”

While expressing optimism that his visit to Nigeria will activate collaboration between UK universities and the National Geological Survey Agency (NGSA), Whitworth noted that such collaboration will enable Nigeria benefit from high resolution imagery and other data available in the UK.

“My presentation will help Nigeria to learn more on how its environment is degrading and how it can also be recovered; remote sensing is used to monitor pipeline vandalism and oil spill, among others,” he said.

Also speaking at the lecture was the Director General of NGSA, Mr. Alex Nwegbu, who said the agency was disposed to taking advantage of the expertise of the University of Portsmouth in the country.

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“We use remote sensing for mineral exploration, engineering geology and geo-hazards. We are having a common platform to interact; taking advantage of their expertise in this particular area. This has empowered NGSA to do more in terms of what we have been doing and to reach out to them and see areas of symbiotic relationship,” Nwegbu stated.

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