Multi-Pollutant Concentrations and Environmental Management Implications in Data-Scarce Kula Kingdom Coastal Communities, Rivers State, Nigeria

Coastal communities situated within hydrocarbon-producing regions of the Niger Delta face persistent air quality pressures that remain largely undocumented at the community scale. This study assessed multi-pollutant ambient air quality across five sampling locations in the Kula Kingdom coastal communities of Rivers State, Nigeria, namely Robert Kiri, Offoin-Ama, Belema, Kula Water Front and Atlantic Ocean Shore. Concentrations of particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), methane, volatile organic compounds, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and ozone were measured using portable air quality monitoring equipment and benchmarked against the World Health Organization air quality guidelines, the United States Environmental Protection Agency National Ambient Air Quality Standards, and Nigeria's National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency and Federal Ministry of Environment thresholds. PM10 concentrations ranged from 0.033 to 0.245 mg/m3, with Belema recording the highest average value, while PM2.5 ranged from 0.017 to 0.042 mg/m3. Volatile organic compound concentrations were markedly elevated at Offoin-Ama and Robert Kiri, exceeding 84,000 ppb on average. Nitrogen dioxide rose progressively across the sampling transect, peaking at Kula Water Front (0.553 ppm), while sulphur dioxide and ozone remained largely negligible except at isolated locations. Air Quality Index values calculated from particulate matter concentrations classified Belema as Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups, while the remaining locations fell within the Moderate category. Correlation analysis revealed a strong positive association between methane and volatile organic compounds and a strong inverse association between nitrogen dioxide and both methane and volatile organic compounds, patterns broadly consistent with mixed contributions from gas flaring, flow station operations and combustion-related sources reported elsewhere in the Niger Delta. The tri-standard comparison exposed substantial divergence in how exceedance is judged depending on which regulatory framework is applied, with implications for how environmental management decisions are made in data-scarce settings of this kind. The findings support the case for sustained, community-level air quality monitoring and more specific emission control measures in hydrocarbon-adjacent coastal settlements.

ambient air quality; particulate matter; volatile organic compounds; Niger Delta; gas flaring; Air Quality Index; environmental management; coastal communities

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