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The
IMPACT OF DUST ON GHANA and AFRICAN NATIONS
By: Kwaku A. Danso
June 16, 2016
The physical,
social and economic impact of atmospheric dust and
dirt can have an estimated $10 billion impact on a
small nation like Ghana.
In a 12 year study
since I personally moved partially to my house of
East Legon suburb of Accra, I have had a chance to
travel and interact quite a lot in many parts of
Ghana after a few decades in the US. The first thing
that strikes any man entering Ghana, Nigeria, Egypt
or many African countries is the land: the soil
exposure of our land mass to dust, filth and the
open sewage system! It is so disgusting that as kids
we used to joke, as also many have tried to cover it
up by suggesting that "African germs are not cruel".
There is absolutely no excuse for Africans having
depleted forest reserves and unable to plant green
grass and trees! No way!
The scientific fact
is also that atmospheric dust carries particles that
transmit germs and bacteria that contaminate food,
destroy electronic devices such as cell phones,
cameras, air condition units, vehicles, appliances,
as well as our buildings; and they give us a bad
image and first impression to any visitor!
Open water contamination and mosquito-borne diseases
alone has been estimated to cause the death of more
than 100,000 per year in Ghana and the under-5
mortality rate of children was estimated as 97 per
1,000 births by the UN and World Bank Human
Development indices.
Whiles we do not try to put
national figures together for funerals and cost of
burying the dead for economic purposes, Ghanaians
spend an average $5,000 to $10,000 for a modest
funeral to bury the dead. Simple hand calculation
shows a nation that could build an economy and save
$250 to $500 million per year if we could even
prevent half of these untimely deaths.
The cost
of repairs of appliances and vehicles caused by dust
and corrosion due to high temperature and humidity
can also be estimated if we study repair costs
for say 500,000 vehicles, 100,000 and air condition
units, damaged cell phones and appliances. Basic
engineering cost estimates show Ghana is losing in
excess of $3,000 million or $3 billion that could
have been saved if we invested and had a relatively
cleaner atmosphere.
As a man who made a living as
Reliability and Failure Analysis engineer and
manager in America, sometimes tears fill my eyes as
I enter Ghana and see huge investment in appliances
and vehicles that are not functioning for lack of
maintenance and/or repair solutions.
Keeping
the atmosphere clean does not really cost much from
government. Actually an executive order or
parliamentary law to make lawn grass mandatory
around every building plot in Ghana and school parks
would not need any help from the government itself
save perhaps CSIR releasing any research information
on different varieties of grass and lawn seeds that
survive well in Ghana. Private enterprise will take
care of the rest. Rwanda and some African nations
are making a difference to Africa's outside
perception and image. Ghana definitely can do even
better!
We can create hundreds of thousands of
Jobs also as private landscape architects and
workers enter the field. I am making this appeal to
His Excellency the President to please do these
things before he leaves office:
1. Issue an
executive order to have all buildings and school or
public parks have lawn grass!
2. Issue an
executive order *ban open gutters*, and for every
town and city to develop an underground sewage
system. And to finance these local projects,
3.
Help support the push for an amendment to the
constitution to have all towns and districts and
regions be mostly financially responsible for
themselves, except in national defense, and allow
them to elect their own town, district regional
councils and chief executives officers (Mayors, DCE,
MCE, Regional Governors) as done in such places as
the US or Nigeria.
And please,
4. Don't forget
to complete the nice work you started to have the
house and building numbering system (aka Property
Identification) completes to add to the street
names!
Sincerely yours in the name of Ghana,
Dr. Kwaku A. Danso, PhD
Livermore, California
& East Legon-Accra, Ghana
June 16, 2016
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