Dr. Maria Neira of the World Health Organization says at least nine out of 10 of the world’s children, under the age of 15, breathe air that is so polluted to put their health and development at serious risk.
Some of the children in this bracket could be seen in Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region where in sanitary conditions around homes and schools are easy to come by.
There are virtually no demarcated playing grounds for children, and so it’s common to see children playing either closers to refuse dumps or on the dumps with burning fire and smoke from plastic containers and other materials whose smoke could be harmful to these children.
There is also the problem of open defeacation closer to schools and homes, which leaves foul stench for hours and days and when these feaces dry up, children who play around such school blocks and homes as well as adults living in this condition, end up inhaling particles from dried feaces, thereby putting them at the risk of contracting communicable diseases in some communities.
Dr. Maria Neira, a Director of the Department of Public Health and Environment at the World Health Organization in a tweet also revealed that, a large number of children spend up to 35 hours per week, collecting fire wood and are not able to focus on their education.
Again, a situation that is common across the Upper East Region, where families depend on the use of fire wood for domestic use.
Source: a1radioonline.com / 101.1MHz / Ghana
