By Mercy Ben-Kalio
From the burning of tyres that releases toxic smells into the air to the burning of large heaps9f refuse, the rate at which Lagosians perpetrate acts of air pollution that threatens the peace of their neighbours is becoming alarming.
One resident of Akute, name reserved, disclosed "Someone like me doesn't go to work in the afternoon because I work night shifts. So I tend to use the afternoon for my sleep time yet I don't enjoy it because I am always having to deal with smoke coming from my neighbours"
"It's like they always have something to burn everyday. I am getting fed up", a fellow neighbour confirms
Akute is becoming to synonymous to a land where anyone can do as he pleases, some have even labelled it, the land of the lawless.
Open burning of refuse is one of the key sources that causes high air pollution in Metropolitan cities.
Daily records, with a 1-hour interval, of raw concentration of air pollutant and air quality index data, were obtained from the AirNow website of Addis Ababa central monitoring station. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics of the mean air quality index and concentration of PM2.5. Accordingly, the study revealed that the peak hour for high pollutant concentration emission ranges between 8 pm to 11 pm hours, and the mean air quality index was more than a moderate level.
According to a Journalist writing for The Telegraph, Cyril Dibia, "Air pollution forecasting plays a vital role in air pollution warnings and controlling.24 Clean air is the foremost requirement to sustain the healthy lives of humankind. Human beings need a regular supply of food and water and an essentially continuous supply of air."
Here's what another frustrated resident had to say:
OPEN BURNING: Resident cries out
There is also the issue of backyard burning. Doctor Ade Uwala asserts, "Smoke created by backyard garbage burning especially affects people with sensitive respiratory systems, as well as children and the elderly. Exposure to smoke can also increase the risk of heart disease, cause rashes, nausea, and headaches."
"Dioxin. Among the environmental and health risks posed by residential garbage burning, dioxin is the key concern. Dioxin is a potent human carcinogen that is especially harmful for pregnant women, children, and the elderly. Dioxin is also an endocrine disrupter and can cause reproductive, developmental, and immunological problems in humans and animals", he said.
Speaking with residents fond of open burning on reasons why they engage in it, they pointed to a poor waste disposal system in the state
It's no doubt that these practices need to stop putting into the consideration the longevity of human life. Climate change is one of the biggest problems the world currently faces and a continuous habit of open burning is not helping to make the environment a better place, not even a little bit. In the same vein, the attention of local and state governments is called upon to create an adequate and sustainable waste treatment and disposal system for the masses. Human beings consume things day in, day out and do away with them or even store them in form of waste and when they get too much without any system to aid effective disposal, they have no option than to turn to open burning.
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