Sand transportation and Road construction

SAND TRANSPORTATION AND ROAD CONSTRUCTION: FORMIDABLE CAUSES OF AIR POLLUTION IN GHANA

Introduction

Many Ghanaians are fully aware that road accidents and diseases such as malaria and HIV/AIDS are the leading causes of deaths in Ghana. What would be their reaction if they found that air pollution causes more deaths (23,792) than road accidents (2,228), malaria (21,597) and HIV/AIDS (14,620)? According to a recent World Health Organization report published by Clean Air Fund, it is estimated that every year, about 28,000 Ghanaians lose their lives as a result of the adverse effects of air pollution. 24,000 of these deaths are premature, as noted by Envirotech Online. Not only does air pollution claim precious lives, it also causes a decline in cognitive abilities to children who are exposed to polluted air. In fact, air pollution leads to other respiratory diseases which may affect an individual from childhood to old age. Whereas open waste burning, using wood and charcoal for cooking, slash-and-burn methods of farming, and energy generation are some known causes of air pollution in Ghana, sand mining and road construction activities are overlooked as formidable causes of air pollution in Ghana. 

Sand transportation and road construction are causes of air pollution 

Due to the rapid urbanisation in Ghana, the demand for building materials such as sand has skyrocketed. The transportation of this material is mostly done in a manner that pollutes the air, posing health dangers to humans as the drivers of the trucks do not cover the sand, or do so improperly. 

Road construction is another overlooked cause of air pollution in Ghana. Arguably, during the construction of roads in Ghana, safety measures to mitigate air pollution are not properly adhered to. For example, in recent time, the construction of the Amasaman-Nsawam trunk road has caused immense air pollution in the enclave. Hundreds of people who play this road are heavily exposed to the polluted air each day. Many of them may be victims of air pollution related diseases and, ultimately, death. 

Possible course of action 

The ministries of sanitation and Lands and Natural Resources, the various metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs), the Minerals Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must build a collaborative effort to annihilate the health threats that the transportation of sand poses to Ghanaians. Again, a call is made to the Ministry of Roads and Highways, the EPA and other relevant agencies and stakeholders to ensure that road engineers who are awarded contracts to construct roads adhere to measures that counteract air pollution resulting from road construction. 

Conclusion

Every nation’s greatest asset is its human resource; there must be a collective effort to protect it.  Allowing about 28, 000 of this resource to perish each year to a cause that can be forestalled is unpardonable.   

Charles Larbi Ampofo

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