THE IMPACTS OF CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIAN ENVIRONMENT

I.Y. Mohammed

 Department of Building, School of Environmental Technology

Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi Nigeria

ABSTRACT

Environmental concern and political conscription to address them have risen in recent decades. There is growing awareness that it is impossible to separate economic development issues from environment issues; many forms of development erode the environmental resources upon which they must be based, and environmental degradation can undermine economic development. Thus today’s environmental challenges arise both from the lack of development and from the unintended consequences of some forms of economic growth.  It is therefore futile to attempt to deal with environmental problems without a broader perspective that encompasses the factors underlying its immediate causes. Different industries all over the world are trying to redefine their goals and perspectives and make their operations socially more acceptable and resource-wise sustainable but at the same time preserve and strengthen their uniqueness as vehicles of economic growth and national development. Construction activities constitute powerful influence on the environment. The objective of this paper is to underscore the impacts of the construction activities on the environment, assess current evidence and experience, identify the linkages between different construction activities and the environment and draw from these implications for reorientation in design and implementation of construction projects.