Polluting till death and beyond: A perception study of the disposal of the dead in a traditional African city

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine residents’ perception on the polluting effects of the disposal of the dead in Ile-Ife, a traditional African city. This came about based on the recognition of the disposal of corpses and carcasses as sources of environmental pollution in the built environment. The perception study becomes imperative since introduction of perception is adjudged a tool for proffering solution to different problems in the different human endeavours and a method of getting policy information from the people that will be eventual subjects of the policy.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used household survey through questionnaire administration. The city of Ile-Ife was stratified into residential zones comprising the traditional zone, the transition zone and the peripheral zone. Across the zones, a total of 306 residents were systematically sampled on which the designed questionnaires were administered.

Findings

Dumping was the commonest method of the disposal of carcasses and burial was the commonest for corpses. The practices of the disposal of dead in the city were without consideration for its polluting effect and public health concern.

Research limitations/implications

The study is capable of generating hypotheses for future research in the area of environmental studies, especially in the global south.

Practical implications

The findings and recommendations of this study can provide information on future policy making, review and implementation on the disposal of the dead and other related issues in environmental studies both in the city and others with similar setting.

Originality/value

This paper is based on primary data from a survey of residents of Ile-Ife, Nigeria in March 2015. Its value lies in its capacity to suggest policy response for enhanced liveable environment through a study on residents’ perception, a bottom-up approach to policy making.

Citation

Daramola, O. (2017), "Polluting till death and beyond: A perception study of the disposal of the dead in a traditional African city", Management of Environmental Quality, Vol. 28 No. 3, pp. 400-413. https://doi.org/10.1108/MEQ-07-2015-0133