By Albert Ansah
Accra, Oct. 1, GNA - Dr Abena Konama Adampah, an official of the Ayawaso West Municipal Assembly, has called on local assemblies to prioritise sustainable measures aimed at reducing air pollution.
“As we pursue development in our municipalities, we must prioritize sustainable practices to protect our environment and people. Certain areas need to be designated to plant and nurture trees,” she said.
Dr Adampah made the call during a workshop organised by PSS Urbania Consult Limited in Accra to build the capacity of selected Metropolitan Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to reduce air pollution.
The workshop was held under the Breathe Cities initiative, which seeks to empower Greater Accra Region communities to reduce air pollution.
PSS Urbania Consult Limited, an environmental and research consultancy hired by the Clean Air Fund (CAF) in Ghana for the Breathe Cities initiative, is assisting 15 MMDAs in Accra in developing Air Quality Action Plans (AQAPs).
Breathe Cities is a global project aimed at reducing air pollution and carbon emissions by 30 per cent by 2030 to improve public health.
Dr. Adampah noted that studies conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency and the World Health Organization had shown that air pollution in Ghana, particularly in Accra, was associated with numerous premature deaths each year due to ischemic heart disease.
She also said that air pollution was linked to various medical conditions, including stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and acute respiratory infections like pneumonia, which primarily affect children.
Dr Adampah emphasised that tackling air pollution necessitated collective action from all local authorities and experts.
She highlighted the importance of developing air quality action plans to guide efforts in reducing pollution, improving air quality, and ensuring the well-being of communities.
Dr Fred Otu-Larbi a PSS Urbania Consult Limited representative, noted that Ghana faced significant air quality challenges that surpassed the World Health Organization’s (WHO) interim targets.
He said that the health and environmental impacts of air pollution were severe and called for urgent action to address the issue.
Dr Otu-Larbi said the mission of the Clean Air Fund was to support the government’s objective to improve air quality in Ghana to meet WHO guidelines by 2040.
Discussing the key objectives of the Greater Accra Air Quality Management Plan, he stated that it would foster collaborative governance to effectively support the implementation of the plans.
This includes conducting a preliminary assessment of pollution hotspots within the respective assemblies.
Dr Elvis Kyere-Gyeabour, Fund Manager, Breathe Cities/Clean Air, said the sources of air pollution and its impact in the global south were similar.
“If you look at the problems in Accra, they are not different from the problems in Brazil and Thailand.
“And so, using this approach allows us to know what the level of air pollution is by using data, how are people who are in the regulatory authority, the public authority, at the local level, and keeping the community aware of this,” he said.
The Breathe Cities initiative is collaborating with partners to gather air quality data in Accra, build capacity, engage communities, and share international best practices to help improve air quality.
GNA