Air-Pollution Situation In Ghana And Its Negative Impact

AIR-POLLUTION SITUATION IN GHANA AND ITS NEGATIVE IMPACT ON POPULATION

According to the World Health Organization, through the Environmental Protection Agency’s report on Global Environment Day, close to three thousand people died in 2015 within three Metropolises in Greater Accra, as a result of air pollution. This situation should be of much concern to every individual, the regulatory agencies and government in particular. Air pollution is basically the process by which the healthy air we breathe is contaminated through human activities. These include, emissions from vehicles and heavy duty machinery, welding activities, fumes from burning of plastic materials, dust from saw mills, quarries and construction sites, smoke from industries, residue from substances such as paints, cigarettes, narcotics, odors from poorly designed air vents from septic tanks, liquid waste discharged from drains, factory wastes, open defecation, leaked liquefied gases from homes and fuel stations, bush burning among others. These hazardous environmental practices, according to health experts lead to health conditions such as Asthma, Cancer, Eye problems, Skin infections, DNA defects, impotency, miscarriages in pregnant women, amongst others, which could even lead to death. What is the air-pollution situation in our workplaces? Who monitors the operations and activities of these workplaces? Though, the Environmental Protection Agency is trying its best in the area of environmental protection, not much is achieved in the area of air pollution.

According to the EPA about 15 air-pollution measuring equipment are installed in Accra and several others in other parts of the country. The question is how are these equipment helping to cut down on the pollution? Many workers are exposed to toxic and harmful substances at very high frequencies in most factories and manufacturing centres across the country. Some of these workplaces which are only driven by profit motives do not even have what it takes to control the pollution thereby putting their workers at risk. For example, how many workplaces conduct health surveillance test on first employment before commencement of work and after service delivery to examine the symptoms of disease that might be associated with the air-borne substances used for their work? Is EPA aware of the negative health implications the people around Dobro and Nsumia catchment areas are going through from the waste landfill site located at the area for over five years now? Residents in those communities are suffering and the EPA must go to their aid. It is important for government to resource the EPA to enable it focus more on preventive measures such as creation of awareness, sensitization and training to equip the Ghanaian populace to help minimize the pollution. Let us all try and change our attitude and behavior towards air pollution to enhance our health and reduce the ill-health burdens on us all. Ensuring clean air should be our collective concern.

BY: THE DIRECTOR OF PB PROTECTION CENTER, PHILIP NANA ASANTE.