Environmental health hazards and rural community development in Abia State of Nigeria

The study assessed the influence of environmental hazards on the development of rural communities in Abia State. Three research questions and two hypotheses guided the study. The population of the study was 1,772 executive members of 175 Community Development Associations from where a sample of five hundred and nine executive members from 70 Community Development Associations was drawn. Self-structured questionnaire was the instrument used for data collection. It was face validated by two experts in Educational Administration and Educational Measurement/ Evaluation from Abia State University, Uturu. The reliability of the instrument was tested on 25 executive members of Ayamele and Ifite-Ogwari Community Development Associations, both are Local Government Areas in Anambra State. Reliability coefficient of 0.88 was obtained using Cronbach Alpha estimate. The data were analyzed by computing and comparing the mean scores and standard deviation. Also, the null hypotheses were tested using t-test statistics. The findings of the study revealed the influence of deforestation, agricultural development and industries and technology on the environment. The study therefore recommended among others that Abia State Government should organize seminars, workshop and conferences for Community Development Associations executive members and other community leaders on the issues concerning environmental protection.