May 14, 2018

Of megacities and clean air mirage

located:	Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya
editor:	Bob Koigi

Every year, up to seven million people die of air pollution globally with another 90 percent currently believed to be breathing toxic air, according to a recent research published by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The most comprehensive analysis that links air pollution and increasing mortality rate has cast a spotlight on the health crisis that has ballooned to epidemic proportions over the years, with low income countries, especially in Africa and Asia bearing the greatest brunt.

Out of all air pollution deaths and toxic air being inhaled, 90 percent comes from the developing countries, the UN health body posits. At the same time, these are the same countries that do not have the requisite medical infrastructure to tame these ticking time bombs.

Burgeoning industrialisation, occasioned by manufacturing, power plants, and the rise of megacities have contributed immensely to the deteriorating quality of air. The majority of these megacities – as research points – have exceeded the WHO’s guideline levels for air quality by over five times, sparking a rise in fatal diseases including strokes, lung infections and cancer. Indoor pollution is particularly rampant as more households rely on fossil fuel for cooking and lighting. It is estimated that some 3.8 million people die of this pollution every year, with another three billion breathing polluted smoke. In Africa, for example, where over 70 percent of the rural population rely on fuelwood for key family activities, respiratory diseases have been on the rise with women and children being the biggest casualties.

As a result, an array of green initiatives are being chaperoned by local entrepreneurs in developing countries, leading the latest innovations of how to tackle issues of pollution. The bike sharing scheme in Kenya that seeks to discourage use of pollutant cars or the bamboo bicycles in Ghana have gone a long way in behaviour change towards environmental conservation.  

The explosion of low-cost, clean energy solutions that are reaching the majority of people in low income countries have made a marked contribution in the world’s pursuit of clean energy. But they cannot match the unprecedented population growth. Having real time data on countries’ air pollution is a necessary starting point in the development of  tangible and effective interventions that will not only cleanse our air, but could guarantee a healthy future for generations to come.