The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), in collaboration with Ghana?s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has launched the BreatheLife Accra Project and the Air Quality Management Plan (AQMP) to address health challenges associated with pollution in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA).

The BreatheLife Accra Project, a World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations (UN) environment-led initiative, aims to reduce air pollution for good health and climate benefits.

The project, to be piloted in four communities in two sub-metropolitan areas—Jamestown and Agbogbloshie in Ashiedu Keteke, and Mamprobi and Chorkor in Ablekumah South— would involve community durbars, house-to-house sensitization on burning of waste, promotion of green space development and the improved awareness creation and training on the importance of switching to clean cooking stoves

Mr Mohammed Nii Adjei Sowah, Chief Executive Officer of AMA, who launched the campaign in Accra, yesterday, August 16, 2018, said the breathelife campaign was in sync with aspirations to improve the quality of life of city dwellers which would target some of the worst affected areas of poverty, pollution and increasing incidence of non-communicable diseases.

On AQMP, Mr Sowah said the introduction of the plan was to guide and provide a framework for everyone in targeting actions to improve air quality in Accra. 

He said the areas identified for the pilots for the three pillars of the program were artificial parks in schools and communities, a focus on waste through waste segregation piloting in communities and schools, and the health professionals? sensitization in Jamestown, Agbogloshie, Mamprobi and Chokor.

He listed a number of measures taken by the AMA on waste management, namely a pilot programme in waste segregation in basic schools in the Osu Klottey sub-metro; introduction of further waste segregation in all government second cycle institutions within the AMA; major decongestion within the central business district which led to the reduction in waste generation by 30%; improved traffic movement by close to 25%; and a waste management rapid response program which provided an avenue for citizens to report areas and spots of illegal waste dumping for rapid evacuation.

Dr John Pwamang, Acting Director of EPA, who presented the Air Quality Management Plan for GAMA, indicated that for the EPA to achieve its key functions of prescribing standards and guidelines relating to all forms of environmental pollution, including the discharge of waste and the control of toxic substances into the environment, there was the need to conduct a study on air quality and vehicular emissions to monitor programs in various parts of the country.

Dr Pwamang said that study was undertaken with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), WHO, Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA), UN Environment and the  World Bank, among others.

He disclosed that the AQMP was developed in collaboration with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) in order to take advantage of USEPA's significant and broad experience in air quality management.

Currently, he said, EPA Ghana had 15 functional air quality monitoring stations and 10 low cost air sensors located in Accra.

 Source: Public Relations Unit, AMA