Air quality significantly affects the lives of people. Air pollution causes around seven million deaths a year worldwide while according to Ethiopias Environment, Forest and Climate Change Commission it kills 12,000 people in the country annually.
Growth and concentration of the population both in cities and rural areas, as well as the way in which we consume energy in urban areas through transport and air conditioning systems, among others, result in the emission of huge quantities of gases that are harmful to our health.
The government of Ethiopia is taking many actions to mitigate the impacts of air pollution, which claims the lives of hundreds of thousands of citizens annually. Currently, Air pollution monitoring data in Ethiopia and research study on Environment and health effect is limited due to insufficient air quality monitoring networks and different factors.
Air pollution, monitoring and controlling Senior Expert with the Commission Meseret Abdissa told The Ethiopian Herald that, with rapid urbanization and development most African countries in general and Ethiopia in particular is facing an environmental pollution challenges.
He stated that, emissions from different transport modes, the burning of garbage, gas released from industrial production, are some of the main causes of air pollution. Air quality management needs an assessment for clean air action planning strategies to control and reduce emissions at source.
Air quality management roadmap was developed and discussed with stakeholders. The issue needs detailed assessment and application of appropriate measures to address the problems according to Environment Forestry and Climate Change Commission.
Ethiopia has witnessed a significant growth in population and urbanization especially in the last two decades. But air pollution monitoring data and research study on Environment and health effect is limited due to insufficient air quality monitoring networks and different factors.
The constitution of FDRE provides on article 44 that all persons have the right to live in a clean and healthy environment. In addition, Ethiopia also ratified and became party to international agreements like that of Vienna Convention and the Montreal Protocol to ban ozone-depleting substances.
Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC) to limit release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and minimizes the impact of climate change. The Basel Convention to control and regulate the trans-boundary movement of hazardous waste.
Sources of pollutant are biomass fuels, plant or animal material used for energy production Vehicles emission, poor quality fuels, poor solid waste management, pollution from Industries, Construction.
The current air monitoring station in Ethiopia the country’s ambient Air quality data, which is managed by National Meteorology Agency is not seen when doing such kind of activity, where as the Environment, Forest and Climate Change Commission and in line with the Ministry are responsible to monitoring and controlling environmental compliance related to air quality. The two organizations must cooperate and work together, he stated.
We have seven air-qualities monitoring Stations across the country out of which five of them are located in Addis Ababa the rest two being in Adama and Hawasa.
Addis Ababa has air quality monitoring station, which was established by National Meteorological Agency (NMA). However, the data generated are poor in quality due to technical problems, which indicates limitation in personnel skill to operate the air quality monitoring equipment and manipulate data and limited monitoring stations across the country.
Meseret noted that, the big challenges to control air pollution in Ethiopia are lack of awareness on the magnitude of the problems and its adverse impacts on environment, human health, and the economy, limited air quality monitoring station, non-availability of air quality database on air pollutant emissions in the country and lack of regulation mechanisms on vehicle emissions.
In addition there is weak integration among stakeholder, lack of air quality management training center and inadequate human capacity development in various areas.
The country’s ambient air quality data is managed by National Meteorology Agency whereas the Environment, Forest and Climate Change Commission and the Ministry are responsible to monitor and control environmental compliance related to air quality.
Dr. Addisalem Abathun Dean of College of Natural and Computational Sciences says still there is hope of solving this global problem and every individual should discharge its responsibility in addressing it.
“In my opinion Scientists, researchers, students and academicians should do more in developing new technologies that would support the policy makers to plan for sustainable future” as to Dr. Addisalem. Dr. Addisalem further stated that, we need to ensure that we do proper assessment of societal impact of air pollution and project impact of future changes in human activities and climate on air quality.
In order to do that we need to invest in infrastructure development in our universities through which the state of the art modeling can also be done and we could forecast air quality in fine details and by doing so we should able to undertake foresighted processes, she stressed.
As a way forward he stated that , creating public awareness on the causes and magnitude of the problem and its resulting impacts on Environment, human health, and the economy, establishing data management platform and collaboration among stakeholders, Working collaboratively with the concerning stakeholders.
In additionconducting research and creating research centers, health impact assessment studies, regular inspection of emission from point source of air pollution establishment of air quality index, (AQI) system for public health.
Air pollutions have major impacts on human health, triggering, and inducing many diseases leading to high morbidities and mortalities, particularly in the developing countries such as in Ethiopia.
Therefore, air pollutions control is vital and should be on the top of priority list of the governments. The policy makers and legislators in these countries must update all laws and regulations related to air pollutions.
An effective environmental protection organization should have enough budgets for administration, research, development, monitoring, and full control of the environmental pollution.
The Ethiopian Herald June 22/2019
BY HAILE DEMEKE
