AMA calls for science-led action to tackle environmental health risks in Accra

The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has emphasized the crucial role of scientific evidence in formulating policies and implementing measures to combat environmental health risks in Ghana's capital city. This call to action was made as the AMA participated in World Environmental Health Day, observed on September 26 under the theme "Environmental Health: Standing with Science to Protect Communities."

The Assembly, through its Metro Public Health Department, highlighted the ongoing environmental health challenges faced by Accra, such as poor sanitation, unsafe food handling, waste pollution, flooding, air pollution, and rising temperatures.

Addressing these risks necessitates evidence-based policies, effective enforcement, and practical measures at the community level. According to World Bank estimates, pollution of air, land, and water has caused approximately nine million premature deaths globally, accounting for 16 percent of all deaths in the assessed year. Although this figure pertains to a global context, the AMA acknowledges Breathe Cities reports indicating that air pollution claims about 33,000 premature deaths annually in Ghana.

The World Health Organization (WHO) also attributes more than 9,000 premature deaths in Ghana to inadequate water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities.

The AMA further pointed out the increasing concerns over heat-related health risks, including heat stress and heat stroke, due to rising temperatures. The Metro Public Health Department reported that it has engaged 29,408 out of 62,386 identified premises through education, enforcement, and sensitization activities, representing around 47 percent of the targeted premises.

Through this outreach, the department has registered and screened 9,195 food handlers, with 8,822 (96 percent) passing the screening and receiving certificates. Moreover, 6,143 food premises were educated on public health requirements, and sensitization activities were conducted in nine markets and 238 out of 240 schools, with 99 percent of schools visited.

The department's efforts have also seen the prosecution of 262 sanitation offenders and the installation of 13 air-quality sensors across Accra to monitor and manage air pollution. The AMA urged residents, traders, food handlers, institutions, and community leaders to adopt practical steps to reduce environmental health risks, such as keeping surroundings clean, disposing of waste responsibly, practicing safe food handling and hygiene, avoiding open burning of waste, and following public health guidance during floods and extreme heat periods.

Director of the Metro Public Health Department, Florence Kuukyi, stressed that scientific evidence must translate into practical action to protect communities. She urged a stronger connection between scientific research, local decision-making, and community practices to build a cleaner, healthier, and more resilient Accra. The Assembly emphasized that World Environmental Health Day serves as an opportunity to underscore the link between environmental conditions and public health outcomes and called for closer collaboration between scientific institutions, local authorities, and communities to inform decisions and implement practical measures that protect residents.