By Patience Gbeze, GNA
Kumasi, Sept. 4 – The Presbyterian Relief Services and Development (PRESED), under the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, has engaged residents and workers of the Sokoban Wood Village in Kumasi in a community sensitisation programme on the health and environmental dangers of air pollution.
The engagement forms part of PRESED’s broader initiative to raise awareness about air pollution and environmental injustice in vulnerable urban communities.
The programme was in collaboration with the Clean Air Fund. Similar engagements have been held in Sokoban and Anloga in the Ashanti Region.
An official statement issued in Accra and copied to the GNA said, the choice of Sokoban was significant, as the wood-processing hub faced pollution challenges associated with wood dust, sawdust burning, charcoal production and other activities.
Previous studies and reports have also highlighted concerns about smoke and dust exposure in the community, it added.
During the engagement, community leaders and members were educated on the causes and health consequences of air pollution and encouraged to adopt safer practices, including reducing open burning, properly managing wood waste, and using appropriate protective equipment.
The initiative also seeks to empower community members to become active participants in air-quality awareness, monitoring, and advocacy, rather than merely recipients of environmental interventions.
Recent research linked to the wider PRESED project has identified Sokoban as one of the communities being assessed for air-pollution experiences and impacts.
The engagement comes at a time when residents of Sokoban and surrounding communities have raised concerns about air-quality problems, including dust from deteriorated roads and respiratory health risks.
PRESED says the fight against air pollution requires collective action from communities, government agencies, civil society organisations and other stakeholders to protect public health and promote cleaner, healthier communities.
GNA
Edited by Linda Asante AgyeiÂ