The Greater Accra Region’s air pollution is becoming worse, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is urging all parties involved to work together to stop it in order to safeguard public health.
Ms. Selina Amoah, Director of the Environmental Quality Unit at the EPA, emphasized the urgent need for intervention in air pollution, highlighting the importance of air quality management plans and the need for collaboration.
She spoke at a workshop for Metropolitan Municipal and District Assemblies in Accra, organized by PSS Urbania Consult Limited, which was engaged by the Clean Air Fund to support 15 MMDAs in developing Air Quality Action Plans.
The Greater Accra Region’s residents are to be empowered to fight air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions through the Breathe Accra program. Ms. Amoah said that the MMDAS will be able to raise decision-makers’, stakeholders’, and Accra residents’ awareness, knowledge, and comprehension of air quality through air quality management initiatives.
Additionally, she issued a warning to the public against activities such as open burning, stating that they were illegal and made the already dire situation of air pollution worse.
“Many people in one way or another contribute to this menace. We all need to be responsible enough to make sure we are contributing to solutions to curb this menace instead of making the situation more unbearable,” she added
Dr. Fred Out-Larbi from PSS Urbania Consult Limited highlighted Ghana’s air quality challenges exceeding WHO’s interim targets, highlighting the profound health and environmental impacts. He emphasized the Clean Air Fund’s mission to support the government’s goal of improving air quality by 2040.
He expressed concern over the severe health and economic impacts of air pollution in Ghana, highlighting the Greater Accra Air Quality Management Plan’s main goals, which include collaborative governance, preliminary air pollution scans, and the implementation of plans in respective assemblies.
