EPA cautions public against harmattan condition

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has urged members of the public to exercise extra caution to avoid eminent health hazards as the harmattan season sets in.

The authority said with the onset of the harmattan season, the level of airborne particulate matter (dust levels) was expected to increase across the country, posing dire health challenges.

In a statement issued last Sunday, the EPA said its monitoring stations at the University of Ghana and Adabraka had shown increased levels of dust with an Air Quality Index (AQI) between unhealthy (red) and very unhealthy (purple) from December 13 to date.

Caution

The EPA entreated vulnerable groups, especially the elderly, children, pregnant women, people with asthma and related allergies and any other persons with underlying health conditions to reduce outdoor activities where necessary.

The authority further urged members of the public to take the necessary precautionary measures to stay safe, including the use of pollution masks and desisting from open burning of waste and other materials.

Additionally, the EPA advised members of the public to sprinkle water on dusty surfaces before sweeping to reduce dust emissions.

“Vehicle users should reduce speeding on untarred roads to reduce dust emissions while vehicles and other fuel-burning installations/machines, including generator sets, should be serviced regularly to optimise their functioning, idling of their engines should be avoided,” it added.

Claims refuted

The EPA said its attention had been drawn to a post circulating on social media that the authority had issued an alert to the public about an extreme air pollution event with severe health implications.

“The EPA denies issuing any such communication. The public is, therefore, advised to categorically to disregard the aforementioned social media post as the EPA will update the public on any further development,” it added.

The EPA said it would continue to provide updates on the AQI for its monitoring stations at the University of Ghana and Adabraka on social media handles - Instagram/X alepa_ghana, Facebook @ EnvironmentalProtection/ALeneyChana and its website.