IMPORTANCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING ON HEALTH AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT

ABSTRACT

The study undertaking is on the important of environmental planning on health and rural development of Uli, Ihiala local government area of Anambra state.   The environment is the sum of all the features and conditions surrounding an organism that may influence it.  It is the life supporting media for organisms without which there would be no life. Even in the absence of man, the environment undergoes continual changes and superimposed on natural environmental changes are those changes resulting from man’s various livelihood activities that take place within the environment.  These include farming, hunting, fishing, mining and so on with the resultant man-made environmental degradation. The main problem of the study area is environmental  pollution, lack of basic infrastructure , bush burning and deforestation. The study is aim at overseeing the importance of environmental planning on health and rural development using Uli Ihiala local government area as a case study. The study focused on three objectives. It covers 390 respondents in Uli and relied on the information collected from the field survey. Data were collected using closed ended questionnaire and interview method of data collection and were analysed using Simple Frequency Distribution Table, Simple Bar Chart and the Component Bar Chart with the help of Microsoft excel. Result shows that that there is poor environmental planning in Uli as the various community lack the basic infrastructure needed for economic development such as good road, quality water, good hospital, electricity etc. The research recommends that a body of environmental and development scientists with infallible records and trustworthy traits on rural infrastructural construction should be employed and empowered to carry out this vital rural activity. And the liberal charges for violators of environmental laws should be reviewed so as to act as deterrent to offenders.