Environmental Pollution, Diseases & Waste Management

Pollution is the release of harmful substances, energy, or pollutants into the natural environment, causing adverse changes to ecosystems and human health. • 1. Water Pollution: - Causes in Ghana: Illegal small-scale gold mining ("galamsey") washing heavy silt, mercury, and cyanide into rivers (e.g. Pra, Ankobra, Birim); dumping untreated domestic sewage; industrial chemical waste; agrochemical runoff (fertilizers and pesticides). - Effects: Destruction of aquatic life (fish kills); water-borne diseases (cholera, typhoid); astronomical water treatment costs for Ghana Water Company Limited. • 2. Air Pollution: - Causes: Exhaust emissions from second-hand commercial vehicles (carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, soot particles); bush burning; burning of electronic waste at dumpsites (like Agbogbloshie); industrial emissions. - Effects: Respiratory diseases (asthma, bronchitis, lung cancer); acid rain; depletion of the ozone layer; global warming. • 3. Land / Soil Pollution: - Causes: Indiscriminate dumping of non-biodegradable plastics and polythene bags; open defecation; toxic mining tailings; excessive synthetic agricultural pesticides. - Effects: Loss of soil fertility; poisoning of food crops; blocked drainage gutters leading to catastrophic urban flooding during the rainy season.

Communicable diseases are infectious illnesses that spread from person to person or via biological vectors: • 1. MALARIA: - Causative Agent: *Plasmodium* parasite (a protozoan, mainly *Plasmodium falciparum*). - Vector: Female *Anopheles* mosquito (needs blood meal for egg development; feeds at night). - Life Cycle of Mosquito: Complete Metamorphosis (Egg → Aquatic Larva → Aquatic Pupa → Adult winged mosquito). - Symptoms: High fever with chills and shivering, profuse sweating, severe headache, joint pains, nausea, vomiting, anaemia. - Control & Prevention: * Breaking Vector Life Cycle: Clear bush and weeds around houses; drain stagnant puddles or pour thin layers of oil on standing water (suffocates larvae by blocking breathing siphons); introduce larvivorous fish (Gambusia) into ponds. * Personal Protection: Sleep under Insecticide-Treated Mosquito Bed Nets (ITNs); install wire mesh on windows; apply mosquito repellent creams; indoor residual spraying (IRS). • 2. CHOLERA: - Causative Agent: *Vibrio cholerae* (a comma-shaped bacterium). - Transmission: Faecal-oral route—drinking water or eating food contaminated with the faeces or vomitus of an infected person. Common houseflies act as mechanical vectors carrying bacteria from open defecation sites to uncovered food. - Symptoms: Sudden onset of profuse, painless watery diarrhea ("rice-water stools"), severe projectile vomiting, rapid dehydration, sunken eyes, muscle cramps, and death within hours if untreated. - Prevention & Control: * Wash hands thoroughly with soap and running water before eating and after using the toilet. * Drink only boiled, chlorinated, or sealed bottled/sachet water. * Cook food thoroughly and eat it hot; cover all food to prevent contamination by houseflies. * Immediate First Aid: Administer Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS) solution to replace lost fluids and electrolytes, then rush patient to a clinic.

Effective solid waste management is essential for environmental sanitation: • Classification of Waste: 1. Biodegradable Waste: - Organic waste that can be broken down naturally by biological decomposers (bacteria and fungi) into harmless, nutrient-rich compost/humus. - Examples: Plantain peels, cassava waste, food leftovers, paper, fallen tree leaves, animal manure. - Disposal: Composting to produce organic fertilizer for agriculture. 2. Non-Biodegradable Waste: - Synthetic materials that CANNOT be decomposed naturally by microorganisms and persist in the environment for decades or centuries. - Examples: Polythene shopping bags, plastic bottles, glass bottles, styrofoam packs, metal tins, electronic waste. - Disposal: Recycling, sanitary landfilling, incineration under regulated conditions. • The Principle of the 3Rs: 1. REDUCE: Minimize the quantity of waste generated at source (e.g. carry a reusable cloth bag instead of accepting multiple plastic bags at the market). 2. REUSE: Use items repeatedly for the same or different purposes instead of throwing them away (e.g. reusing plastic jars for storing salt or spices). 3. RECYCLE: Collect and process waste materials into new usable products (e.g. melting discarded plastic water bottles into pavement blocks or new plastic containers; recycling scrap aluminum into cooking pots).