Air pollution: killing many Ghanaians, affecting infants and the elderly

Air pollution is Ghana’s main environmental risk to public health, causing an estimated 16,000 premature deaths each year in the country, revealed a World Bank National Environmental Analysis (CEA) on Ghana.

Out of the 16,000 annual premature deaths; 8,500 occur in urban areas, while 7,600 occur in rural areas, according to the year 2020 CEA.

In addition, the air pollution fatality rate including ambient air pollution (outdoors) and domestic air pollution (indoors / near home) is 105 people per 100,000 population. , with around 66% of deaths linked in rural areas of Ghana due to air pollution near home.

Illnesses associated with air pollution related deaths include: lung cancer, ischemic heart disease, stroke, acute lower respiratory infections and chronic lung diseases like bronchitis and emphysema, M George Amoasah, World Bank environmental specialist, made the revelation during a World Bank dissemination workshop in Accra on Friday for civil society actors, youth, and media staff.

The workshop aimed to disseminate information on the ‘Pollution Management and Environmental Health Program’, a World Bank program funded by the governments of Norway, Germany and the United Kingdom to strengthen the capacity of the Ghana Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to respond to gaps in air quality management planning and monitoring.

Mr. Amoasah made a presentation on the environment, health and economic impact of indoor and domestic air pollution in Ghana.

He said the air pollution situation in the country was dire and should not be taken for granted at all, adding that, for example, air pollution was the sixth overall risk of death in Ghana. , while 100 percent of the total population was exposed to particulate matter concentration (PM) levels that exceeded World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines.

WHO has also estimated an annual death from air pollution at more than 28,000 of the population, Amoasah said.

He said the CEA also estimates the cost of the country’s air pollution at around $ 2.5 billion, or 4.2 percent of 2017’s gross domestic product, while the average cost of its greenhouse gas emissions is greenhouse for the global community was $ 2.3 billion. every year.

More than 70 percent of Ghana’s population (20.5 million) burn solid fuels like firewood, charcoal and manure in their homes for cooking and heating, which continues to pollute the air. people breathe in rural and urban centers.

He said that unfortunately the burden of illnesses linked to air pollution is disproportionately borne by infants and the elderly.

Mr. Emmanuel Appoh, Deputy Director, Air Quality, EPA, said air pollution from open burning, which was a crime in the country, was still very high and required attention. concerted efforts by local government at the district level to be addressed.

Mr. Ebenezer Appah-Sampong, Deputy Executive Director, in charge of EPA technical services, congratulated the partners who had come to empower the agency to do its job effectively to help manage emissions in the country.

He said the program had improved the EPA’s air quality monitoring activity, especially in the Greater Accra metropolitan area, and could now use new measurement methods for monitoring and air quality analysis.

“It also improved the understanding of the importance of rigorous attention to standard operating procedures and quality assurance protocols necessary for high quality gravimetric analysis.

“The EPA now has an enhanced capacity to perform receptor modeling on new results in the future.”

He stressed the need to extend the air quality network to other parts of the country, including Kumasi, Tema, Takoradi, Tamale and other rural areas where there were problems related to the burning of charcoal. wood and others.

Mr. Pierre Laporte, World Bank Country Director for Ghana, Sierra Leone and Liberia, said that to ensure a healthier Ghana, the role of civil society and the media is crucial in advocating for a change among the population on the need to stop indiscriminate pollution of the environment.

We need radical and systemic change and awareness so that stakeholders understand the impact of air pollution and behavior change, and apply environmental standards, he said.

GNA