WRITTEN BY MADUAKONAM AMAECHINA

The Nigerian Institute of Town Planners appreciates the initiative of the United Nations to have set up the fifth of June every year as World Environment Day to create awareness and promote actions for the protection of our environment. The theme for this year’s celebration, which is “Air Pollution”, is apt and timely in view of the increasing degradation of the terrestrial urban space.

Air pollution refers to the release of pollutants into the air that are detrimental to human health and the planet as a whole. It is a mixture of natural and man-made substances in the air we breathe. It occurs when harmful or excessive quantities of substances, including gases, particles, and biological molecules are introduced into earth’s atmosphere.

Air pollution is fundamentally generated because of lack of urban planning which makes it more difficult to organize developments in such a manner that is compatible, environmentally sustainable, aesthetically pleasing, healthy and safe for human habitation and activities.

Air can be polluted through natural sources such as dust from natural sources, methane emitted by digestion of food by animals, radioactive decay within the earth crust, smoke from wild fires and volcanic activity as well as man-made sources such as stacks of fossil fuel power stations, motor vehicles, indiscriminate waste deposition, military resources like nuclear weapons and toxic gases. Other air pollutants are fertilized farmland emitting nitrogen oxides, and fumes from other activities.

Air pollution is a potential killer. This is because the quality of air we breathe-in has effects on our health. According to the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), 92% of the world’s population does not breathe clean air and approximately 7 million people worldwide die prematurely each year due to ill-health caused by air pollution such as tuberculosis, acute respiratory and other communicable diseases.

Nigeria ranks fourth deadliest country in air pollution globally and this is responsible for the high demand for our annual budgetary provisions for health facilities. 

To minimize the impact of air pollution on the well-being of man and all the components of his environment, the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners calls on Government at all levels and the general public to take positive actions, which include but not limited to: immediate commissioning of Town Planning Consultants to prepare Physical Development Plans for urban and rural areas across the nation; An aggressive recruitment drive for town planners into public institutions to monitor and enforce relevant statutory provisions for city management.

Others are adequately empowerment of environmental agencies to enhance their management capabilities through the provision of equipment, funding, training and re-training of staff in their establishments; enlightenment of the public on the dangers of air pollution and the need to imbibe good sanitation practices. There is equally the need to adopt affordable and clean energy techniques in transportation and other industrial processes.

With all these, it is instructive that all members of the public should make conscious efforts towards minimizing activities that would generate air pollution.

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