Open burning, vehicular fumes major contributors to air pollution – EPA

The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has noted with concern that some of the major contributors to air pollution in Ghana include, open burning and fumes from vehicles.

He said the burning of Agricultural waste and emissions from vehicles has over the years, been a major canker in the fight to achieve an air-pollution free West Africa but all

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Speaking at a media encounter in Accra, Head of Environmental Quality Department at EPA, Emmanuel Appoh said, Ghana together with some West African countries have taken precautionary measures to ensure sustainable air quality.

In that regard, Ghana, since signing on to the Better Air Quality pact in 2009 has admonished some member states who deviated from the objectives of achieving safe air to begin intervention programmes.

“Within the ECOWAS we’ve also formed a caucus so we’re working with member states to be able to come out with solutions. We’ve seen that most of these are coming from vehicles and then open burning, burning of agricultural waste. So we have what we call Better Air Quality that we’ve signed on in 2009…”

Mr Appoh also remarked that West Africa has made some commendable progress in achieving better air quality, to the extent that, sulphur in fuels have been drastically reduced, all in the bid to nib vehicle emissions and attain air-pollution free status.

Mr Appoh indicated that, “…In West Africa now we have improved our fuel, now the sulphur level is less than 50ppm which is a plus…Ghana was able to attain this in September 2017…”

But this he said weighs heavily on African economies.

“I must say that in Africa, it’s really costing the economies of Africa. I think from estimates from 2014, the real cost is about $300 million. In West Africa alone it’s over $200 million…” he said.