By Edward Acquah
Accra, Aug. 8, GNA- Breathe Cities, a global project aimed at reducing air pollution and carbon emissions, Thursday launched a comprehensive plan to lower Accra’s air pollution levels by 30 per cent by 2030.
The initiative aims to improve public health by intensifying research and monitoring on emission sources and health implications in collaboration with relevant stakeholders in 13 District Assemblies in Accra, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency and Ghana Health Service.
It is spearheaded by the Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Clean Air Fund and C40 Cities.
Accra has now joined eleven other global cities, including Brussels, Jakarta, Johannesburg, Milan, Nairobi, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Sofia, Warsaw, and London, which are all working on similar schemes to clean up their air.
At Thursday’s launch, stakeholders expressed concern over rising levels of air pollution in Accra and called for the establishment of a robust database on air pollution to inform policy initiatives.
Cooking with wood and charcoal, road transportation, slash-and-burn farming, and open waste burning all contribute to Ghana’s poor air quality.
According to World Health Organization data for 2020, 28,000 Ghanaians die prematurely each year because of air pollution.
Dr Elvis Kyere-Gyeabour, Fund Manager, Breathe Cities/Clean Air, said the Project would work with relevant bodies such as the EPA and the Assemblies to increase availability of data on air quality and concentration forecasts.
He said the project would increase the installed air quality monitoring sensors in Accra to about 100 sensors and build the capacities of local assemblies to address air pollution through targeted strategies and coordinated action.
“We want to increase public and political awareness on the sources and impacts of air pollution, and we are targeting a 30 per cent reduction in air pollution by 2030,” Dr Kyere-Gyeabour said.
Mr Desmond Appiah, Country Lead for Clean Air Fund, said the project would support quality data collection efforts and empower cities to address air pollution sustainably.
“The Breathe Cities initiative will provide Accra with crucial support to strengthen its air quality data collection efforts. This enhanced data will offer a more comprehensive understanding of the city’s air pollution levels, enabling the development of targeted solutions,” he said.
Mr Appiah said the community engagements component of the project would empower the citizenry to play active roles to achieve the 30 per cent pollution reduction target.
Dr Louisa Matey, Director of Health, Ayawaso West, said there was the need for comprehensive research to establish the direct linkages between air pollution and specific diseases.
She said the Ghana Health Service was concerned about the impact of air pollution on public health and indicated efforts undertaken by the Service to increase public awareness and prevent the risk factors.
“We want to be able to speak more emphatically about the association of air pollution and the morbidities and mortalities that we are seeing in Accra; so we can put in some research and look into that,” Dr Matey said.
GNA