By Gloria Ogbaki
As early as 5am every day, Harry Nwokoma, a commercial bus driver, is on the road in Port Harcourt. He needs his job to bring in money for his wife, two children and aging mother.
But in 2018 Harry developed constant breathing difficulties. Eventually, doctors told him this was as a result of black soot in the air, which had affected his lungs. Harry had to go about with a nose mask to protect himself from the harsh soot, and now works fewer hours. His health and his daily income have both been damaged.
Many residents of the city of Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers State and home to over five million people, face the black soot on a daily basis. Driving through the streets, you cannot miss the dark, hazy sky. After an hour on the road, a black substance from the sky covers you and even gets inside your nose.
The
deteriorating air quality in the Port Harcourt metropolis over the past two
years, has caused a lot of public outcry and anxiety, says Dr. Giadom,
Ferdinand from the Department of Geology, University of Port Harcourt.
Doctors in port Harcourt say they are
seeing the health effects of the soot, with an increase in consultations for
breathing difficulties, including asthma. Children and the elderly are most at
risk. Environmentalists are also sounding the alarm, as the soot contains
sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide, which cause acid rain when combined with
moisture.
The soot penetrates deep into the lungs,
and can lead to serious health problems including acute bronchitis and
aggravated asthma among children, heart attacks, and strokes, as well as
premature death, says Okhumode Yakubu
from the Department of Public Health Sciences at New Mexico State
University.
Inhaling the soot can also lead to “cancer
as well as developmental and reproductive disorders,” Okhumode says.
Although researchers know why the soot is
there, the government doesn’t seem to be able to stop it.
In February 2017, the Federal Ministry of
Environment declared the air pollution an ‘emergency situation’ to try to address
the problem.
In 2017, the Governor of Rivers State
Nyesom Wike set up a Task Force comprising of a three-man committee whose
principal duty was to investigate the source of the pollution and find a
resolution.
Shortly after its inauguration, the task
force swung into action and shut down three companies suspected to have been
emitting black carbon soot in Port-Harcourt, according to a statement from the
Rivers State Commission for Information. But the soot keeps coming.
The state government has said that the
soot is caused by activities of illegal oil refineries, bunkers and burning of
tyres.
The government also advised that residents
should take such protective measures as “refrain from eating foods prepared
outdoors, including roasted plantain and suya; avoid drinking rain or exposed
water; ensure all foods are covered; keep doors and windows closed; ensure
children are indoors and kept away from the floor; and, adopt use of face
masks.”
Asthma patients were advised to take extra
care. “Population health risk has probably increased by way of exposure to
particle pollution.”
An epidemiologic evaluation of this risk
and its overall health effect on the exposed population in terms of morbidity
and mortality is necessary to enable the government make informed decisions and
to take further action,” says Yakubu. He adds that Nigeria’s rapid response to
the 2014–2015 Ebola Virus Disease and successful prevention of its spread
provides some lessons for addressing such environmental health emergencies noting
that strategic action, including effective environmental risk communication,
environmental audit, and monitoring is key.
“The Rivers State ministries of
environment and health, together with academic and private organizations,
needed to join together in a concerted effort and the government should provide
up-to-date information on the problem,” he added.
In order to help prevent epidemic outbreak
and protection of the environment as well as improve the air quality Bassey
Justine Eyo a scientist from the Center for Disaster Risk and Development
Studies, University of Port Harcourt, said there is a need for regular
monitoring of atmospheric pollutants around the Port-Harcourt region to
forestall the potential health and atmospheric related impacts of such air
toxics in the region.
In his opinion, the government could stop
the issue of illegal or artisanry refineries by granting licenses to the
refinery operators. That, he says will enhance accountability, efficiency and
effective monitoring and control of the refiners’ activities.
However, in January this year, during the
commissioning of a laboratory in Port Harcourt to detect and analyse samples of
oil spillage in the country, Rivers Deputy Governor, Dr Ipalibo Banigo, urged
the Federal Government to speedily implement fully its policy on modular
refineries.
“The establishment of modular refineries
will help reduce pollution to the environment”, Banigo said.
Minister of State for Environment, Mrs
Sharon Ikeazor while inaugurating the lab, also urged those that engage in
illegal mining to come together and form a co-operative so they can apply for
license to enable them do the business legally and help reduce the
environmental pollution.
The National Environmental Standard
Regulatory Agency (NESREA) has been monitoring the air quality describing it as
bad as that of the most polluted cities says Professor Aliyu Jauro, Director
General NESREA, “we are doing everything to ensure the cleanliness of the air
by ensuring compliance. Recently the National Assembly passed a resolution for
NESREA to look into the issue of the soot in the region and two programmes are
currently in the pipeline tailored to address the soot menace,” he said.
He added that the federal government is
engaging stakeholders and the public to sensitise them on the dangers of
establishing illegal refineries.
Jimmy Adegoke, Director, Center for
Applied Environmental Research (CAER), University of Missouri-Kansas City, USA
says that a state of emergency should be declared on the incidence of air
toxins in the atmosphere of the city. “People should wear face masks so that
they inhale less of the soot and air quality models which is a mathematical
simulation of how air pollutants disperse and react in the atmosphere to affect
ambient air quality, should be installed to curb the menace,” he says.
Gloria Ogbaki is a science writer
STORY CREDIT: AFRICAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
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