Stakeholders at International Day of Clean Air Blue Skies have emphasised the need for the development of infrastructure that enables mass transport of people, goods and services to reduce emissions in the transport sector.
Dr Francis Chisaka Kasolo, the World Health Organisation Representative to Ghana, said that had become important because air pollution was the biggest environmental risk responsible for premature deaths each year from heart attacks, strokes, diabetes and respiratory diseases.
He said a WHO and Ghana Health Services (GHS) multi-year project in the Accra Region on multiple policy scenario analysis had revealed that if air pollution levels were reduced to the WHO Air Quality Guidelines, about 1800 annual premature deaths would have been avoided.
Dr Kasolo, in a speech delivered on his behalf, said the analysis also found that by the adoption of ambitious policies on clean and sustainable household energy access, a reduction of 35 per cent in exposure to air pollutants resulted in about 2000 averted deaths.
The day, which was celebrated under the theme: “The Air we Share,” focuses on the transboundary nature of air pollution and the need for collective accountability and action.
Dr Kasolo said the annual concentration of air pollution in Ghana was 10 times higher than the WHO air quality guidelines.
“This lead to about 28,000 deaths from Non-Communicable Diseases such as ischaemic heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, as well as acute respiratory infections such as pneumonia,” he said.
He stated that annually, an estimated 3,000 children under five years die from exposure to household air pollution from cooking with polluting stoves and fuels.
Dr Kwaku Afriyie, the Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, said the government in collaboration with development partners under the Pollution Management and Environmental Health Programme had established Two State- of the-Art Air quality monitoring Stations located at University of Ghana and Adabraka.
He said Ghana was one of the few countries in Africa with enhanced technical skills to operate Federal Grade Monitors to generate real-time accurate data on particulate matter, black carbon, and meteorological conditions.
“The objectives of establishing these real-time Federal Grade monitors are to generate quality and reliable data for research, air quality policy formulation, air quality standards review and regulation development.”
Dr Henry Kwaben Kokofu, the Executive Director of the EPA, said the Agency had extended air monitoring to six major cities across the country by installing 36 low-cost sensors, six in Accra, Takoradi, Kumasi, Tema, Ho and Tamale.
He noted that capacity building of scientists in the country had been done in air quality monitoring, analysis, interpretation, data management, modelling and forecast.
Madam Comfort Kublenu, a Director at GHS, called for the adoption of cleaner and ambitious solutions to reduce air pollution.
She said air pollution was linked to top 10 diseases like stroke, asthma, chronic cough and advised people to engage in regular exercises and desist from open burning.
