OUR ENVIRONMENT, HAZARDS AND OUR HEALTH

People building close to landfill at McCarthy Down, Accra

1st Published in the daily graphic on Monday, December 13, 2010. NO. 18405.

THE universe harbors amongst other things an environment that gives humanity some aura of space and a sense of ownership – at least to whoever exists in the environment.

The environment is the quality of air water and land in or on which people, animals and plants live or survive. The importance of the environment therefore cannot be glossed over. Could there be another abode for humanity other than the environment?

As importance as it is, the environment has constantly been plagued by all forms of hazards which continuously threaten its existence. Will the universe lose this fortress one day? In Africa particularly, and many parts of the world the developments of slums as a results of human activity has always posed a constant threat to the environment.

Disposal of all sorts of waste into drains means that we do not have places to dispose off our waste. Plastic bags and others are a common sight, a situation that has been attributed to the upsurge of the population. As a result, our environment has also appeared to us in bad taste.

World Bank report on the environment constantly paints a gloomy picture of how slums and the activities of inhabitants threatens natures gift to humanity.

Apart from the drains in our towns and cities which are constantly choked as a result of waste, our water bodies have over the years been the dumping ground for waste. The Odaw River, in the heart of the capital city of Ghana, Accra is a glaring example. It has become evident that in most villages and small towns in Ghana, water bodies face constant threat of pollution. People defecate in rivers and drink from the same river. Perhaps the most glaring of the hazards is what happens on our coastal line, from Dixcove to Keta, our coast-line has become a convenient place for disposal of human waste – this clearly defies tourism promotion.

Various efforts by government at restoring the beauty of our costal lines and lagoons seem to be yielding little effort.

Activities of small scale miners – galamsey operators cannot be ruled out. Their activities have been on the rise within the Ghanaian society in recent times and the health hazards the phenomenon poses on the populace has not been given enough attention. Rivers and streams in the hinterlands are populated with harmful chemicals used in the galamsey operations. The recent exercise conducted by the Eastern Regional security council in Kibi and the aftermath shows how deeply some Ghanaians and their foreign collaborators have polluted the Birim River, the source of potable water for many communities in the region.

Industrial pollution though not so pronounced in our part of the world, exist in pocket of industrial areas in Ghana such as Tema, Accra and Kumasi. The effects of harmful emissions from these industries are something the environment will suffer from perhaps forever. All over the world, even in industrialized nations have failed to live up to the responsibility of reducing the effects of industrial emissions, posing a big threat to efforts by environmentalists to ensure an atmosphere free from pollution. Would the environment ever be liberated?

Can we forget the stench – emitting public toilets in Ghana today? It is rather amazing that many public activities go on around these toilets. In most cases drinking spots and chop bars are situated close to these toilets. Landfill sites have now become areas for building where inhabitants ignore the health hazards associated.

Any careful observer should realize that the environment is under siege. Deducing from the above hazards to the environment is in manifold.

Sea and water pollution have led to the extinction of a lot of species of fish and aquatic features while choked drains have served as breeding grounds for mosquitoes. In Africa and Ghana in particular, malaria which is caused by mosquitoes is the number one killer.

Toxic industrial waste affects the ozone layer everywhere and Ghana being no exception.

There is certainly a strong linkage between the environment and our health. A perfect environment has healthy people. Measured activities to reduce or curtail the harmful effects of these hazards means mankind will live better.

A change of attitude will go a long way to help safeguard the environment. Institutions such as the Environmental Protection Agency, as well as others whose work impact on the environment, should be strengthened and be proactive.

Surely, there is no substitute for the environment. All must therefore get on board to ensure that the environment is free from all encumbrances to make life more worth living.