Environmental Health Problems of Urbanization in Nigeria, a case study of Jos the capital city of Plateau state, Nigeria

Urbanization is the transformation of rural areas into towns or cities. This process involves a lot of changes which in turn can affect the lives of the inhabitants of that settlement. This write up is centered on the environmental health problem of urbanization in Nigeria with a case study of Jos the capital city of Plateau state. Plateau state is one of the 36 states in Nigeria. It is situated in the North-central Geo-political Zone and is located in the middle-belt zone and lies within latitude 80022 and 100024 North and longitude 80032 and 100038 east. The state has a total landmass of 26,899sqkm with an approximated population of about 3 million people, while Jos the capital city has an approximate population of 490,471 (2006 Nigerian census) with a total land mass of about1, 695sqm the environmental health problems of urbanization in Nigeria with a case study of Jos can be classified into three main problems as follows- physical, biological, and social problems. These problems include poor and ill ventilated housing, poor waste management and poor road network, poor sources of drinking water, industrialization and improper sewage management. All these problems are accompanied with the following diseases: typhoid fever, malaria, dysentery, diarrhea, meningitis, hepatitis, sexually transmitted diseases, malnutrition, conflict and crises to mention a few. These problems can be managed properly by the government, civil society organizations, and communities. Solid waste and sewage can be managed well by Government and the relevant agencies that deal with related health and social issues.