The word “Africa” often evokes romantic images of elephants crossing the
Kalahari, thundering water at Victoria Falls, or panoramic views from
Table Mountain.
But an increasingly common sight for Africans — especially those in
Nigeria — is that of smog, rubbish and polluted water, according to a new
report.
Four of the worst polluted cities in the world are in Nigeria, according
to data released by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Onitsha — a city few outside Nigeria will have heard of — has the
undignified honor of being labeled the world’s most polluted city by air
quality.
A booming port city in southern Nigeria, Onitsha recorded 30 times more
than the WHO’s recommended levels of particulate matter concentration.
Named and shamed
The other three cities named and shamed in the WHO report are the
transport hub of Kaduna, in the north, which came fifth, followed by the
cities of Aba — in sixth place — and Umuahia, in 16th position, which
are both trade centers in southern Nigeria.
Last year, the World Bank reported that 94% of the population in Nigeria
is exposed to air pollution levels that exceed WHO guidelines (compared to
72% on average in Sub-Saharan Africa in general) and air pollution damage
costs about 1% post of Gross National Income.
Why is Nigeria so polluted?
The cause of Nigeria’s pollution problem is a complex story.
“The contributing factors to pollution are a reliance on using solid fuels
for cooking, burning waste and traffic pollution from very old cars,” Dr
Maria Neira, WHO Director, Department of Public Health, Environmental and
Social Determinants of Health, tells CNN.
At home, due to unreliable electricity supplies, many Nigerians rely on
generators, which spew out noxious fumes often in unventilated areas.
On the street, car emissions go unregulated.
Neira adds: “In Africa, unfortunately, the levels of pollution are
increasing because of rapid economic development and industry without the
right technology.”
Indeed, Nigeria’s economy has raced forward in the past decade, overtaking
South Africa as the continent’s largest economy in 2014, following a
recalculation of its GDP.
Agriculture, telecoms and oil are all driving this growth — at a certain
environmental cost.
Steps towards a solution
The latest WHO report may highlight Nigeria, but the true story in other
parts of the African continent remains unknown.
The report only included pollution levels from cities with a population of
over 100,000 residents that monitor their pollution levels — something
many African cities don’t do.
“We need to do an assessment of the sources of pollution at city level,
also work on better planning of urban collective transport systems, and
take very old cars out of service,” says Neira.
“Regarding the four cities in Nigeria, we would actually like to praise
them. They are at least monitoring the pollution levels, others are not
even monitoring the air, we know that some are very polluted.
“These four cities are moving towards taking action to reduce pollution.”
With more than 50% of the world’s population predicted to live in African
cities by 2030, according to global accounting firm KPMG, the health of
the continent’s urban areas is a key concern.
CNN