Kumasi Ready For Second Launch Of Africa Environmental Health Pollution Management Programme
The city of Kumasi will on Tuesday host the second Africa Environmental Health Pollution Management Programme launch.
The event will address the prospective adverse effect of e-waste related contaminants on health and aquatic life and the environment in general to set the tone for a rapid massive public awareness programme.
The programme sponsored by the World Bank was first launched in Accra a couple of weeks back . The ceremony was attended by a host of prominent environmentalists and government officials.
The acting director of Internal Communications of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Madam Helen Asiamah, who briefed WontumiNews on Monday on preparation towards the programme said Kumasi was chosen for the second launch because of some recommendations put forward by some experts.
Kumasi and Accra share the top position on the league when it comes to areas in the country notorious for the dumping of old electronics waste otherwise known as e-waste.
The situation has become alarming because of the lack of proper or approved systems for recycling and disposal . A number of African countries which formed part of the ring of e-waste dumping grounds are beneficiaries of the World Bank sponsored programme.
According to Madam Asiamah, to control the menace especially in the importation of electronic waste into the country, there has to be a legislation that will put restrictions on their entry.
“The importation of e-waste is a crucial issue which needs strict enforcement of existing laws and the introduction of new ones capable of making the business unattractive.”
She explained after taking a critical view of the magnitude of a problem whose source is the powerful advanced countries who are not only overburdened but are overwhelmed by a monstrous problem whose solution has been found in dumping on developing countries their destructive waste.
Madam Asiamah also called for an intensive public education on the subject as part of the remedy to create awareness among the larger Ghanaian public on the e-waste menace.
“A focus on the need for intensive public education will feature prominently on the Kumasi programme launch which is expected to attract several stake holders. “ She said.
It is estimated that between 50% and 80% of the amount of e-waste generated globally with a quantum in the range of 20-50 million tons find its way to developing countries including Ghana where it is dissembled to extract valuable components and metals. The disposal of the waste from the waste the country are dumped in river courses as contaminants which are harmful and threat to aquatic organisms.
A UNEP report has stated that, “the e-waste grows at a rate nearly three times faster than the growth of the overall solid waste generated in the cities. The accumulated e-waste is poorly managed in the developing countries, because proper systems for recycling and disposal are lacking.”
The toxic chemicals that exist in e-waste include a wide range of heavy metals, such as cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), arsenic (As) and nickel (Ni), and also persistent organic compounds, such as brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and phthalates.
Other chemicals that appear in e-waste include the polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), nonylphenol (NP), and triphenyl phosphate (TPPs), among others (Azuka 2009.