By Emeka Samuel, Uyo
An associate professor in the Department of Forestry and Natural Environmental Management of the faculty of Agriculture, University of Uyo, Dr. Edem Enaing, has attributed air pollution to the series of complex health challenges in the country.
Eniang, an environmentalist said yesterday in Uyo that thousands of power generating sets and automobiles used in the country emit poisonous fumes including carbon monoxide and other materials which pollutes the
air that humans depended on for a living.
According to him, the number of patients who die daily from asthmatic attacks and other terminal ailments are traceable to air pollution in the country.
“Nobody is concerned about air pollution. A lot of carbon
the dioxide and other materials are going into the air, and at the end of the day, it is not safe for Humans and animals.
“I can say in Nigeria more than 55 percent of the vehicles on the roads are dilapidated and are emitting hazardous n substances into the air. We also have an uncountable number of generators around the length and breadth of the country.
“Today in Nigeria, 70 percent of a household depends on generating plants for electricity, for this reason using small generating plant, which uses diesel and patrol to generate electricity apart from the noise pollution the gaseous substance from this machinery is turning Nigeria into one of the most pollution environment in the world.
“It is very real, it is with us, imparting on our health and
productivity, our livelihood is affected because people spend more money and time in the hospital.” He explained.
Enaing further stated that water pollution arising from poor waste disposal system as another cause of terminal ailment in the country even as most people in the rural areas who depend on stream water and river for drinking stand the risk of being exposed to pollutants that have found its way into the water body and the air we breathe.
The environmentalist who also spoke on the solution to environmental pollution said “the situation has to be taken in stages because it is complicated and multi-dimensional and to solve this problem you must use integrated, multi-faceted and multi=dimensional approaches that carry alone all our sufferings because they are all implicated in the circle of pollution at various levels”
He called on the media to wake up its responsibility by sensitizing the people and government of the consequence of environmental air pollution adding “ if the media does not do this a lot of people would be in the dark”.
