Policy and Practice in Managing Environmental Pollution from Small-Scale Industries in Nnewi, Anambra State, South East Nigeria

This study analyses policy and management practice related to environmental pollution generated by small-scale industries in Nnewi, Anambra State, South East Nigeria. Nnewi is known as the industrial capital of the South East zone, hosting hundreds of auto parts manufacturing and recycling enterprises whose operational discharges pose significant environmental and public health challenges. Drawing on industrial environmental management theory and recent urban pollution literature from 2020 to 2024, the study employs a professional practitioner design. Data are gathered from Anambra State Ministry of Environment officials, National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency field officers, Nnewi North Local Government Area environmental health officers, and enterprise operators through structured interviews and field pollution assessment reports. Qualitative content analysis and environmental compliance audit methods are applied. The study expects to find that small-scale enterprises in Nnewi operate largely outside formal environmental management systems, lack effluent treatment infrastructure, and are rarely inspected by regulatory authorities due to staffing and resource constraints. Community health impacts from lead, oil, and chemical discharges into drainage channels are documented. Recommendations address developing an affordable environmental compliance toolkit tailored for small and medium enterprises, establishing cluster-based shared effluent treatment facilities, increasing regulatory inspection frequency, and developing an environmental ombudsman mechanism accessible to Nnewi industrial communities. Keywords: environmental pollution, small-scale industries, environmental management, Nnewi, Anambra State