Assessment of Hazardous Waste Management in Oil Drilling Fields in Turkana

The assessment of hazardous waste management at the oil drilling fields of Lokichar basin, Turkana County has been analysed. The area is known as Block 10BB and 13T of the oil exploration in Kenya. The study examined the types of waste generated by the activities in the study area and characterized the waste into different streams and classes. The classes of waste examined were primarily hazardous waste or non-hazardous waste contaminated with hazardous materials. Kenya’s National Environment Management Authority’s(NEMA) Waste Management Act of parliament, 2006 was used to classify waste into different streams, and also as a yardstick against which the compliance level of the waste management strategies in the oil fields were gauged.

Primary data was obtained using questionnaires and schedules as the main tools. These were administered on the environmental department of the oil drilling company, which was the key respondent in this study. The approach used in this research is majorly a case study. One questionnaire and direct interviews were administered on the environmental monitor of the oil drilling company.

The hazardous waste contained hydrocarbons and other oily substances. Chemical wastes were also seen in the waste generated from the drilling muds. These were classified as directly-generated waste. Some of the waste, especially timber and plastics were generated as a result of transportation of cargo that contaminated the packaging. These were classified as indirectly-generated waste.