With Joke Adeniyi-Jackson
They spotted nose masks and had head coverings but they weren’t preparing for a surgery in a hospital theatre. The improvised protection kits is to safeguard them from the health hazards they are exposed to. They are traders and residents of Olorunsogo/Odota in llorin, the Kwara capital. Their plight is not unconnected with the dust pollution, which has reduced the air quality in the area as a result of the ongoing construction work on the Geri-Alimi Underpass, a project by the state government.
The dust has risen far above safety level and have continued to generate public concern over resultant health effects.
For one who passes through the area on daily basis and observe the ordeal of the affected people, it did not come as a surprise when the ‘victims’ embarked on a peaceful protest to the Kwara State House of Assembly to lay bare their complaint. The development is undoubtedly as a result of the growing anxiety of the people over the deteriorating air quality, which poses danger to their health as dust is everywhere.. Dusts have taken over homes settling in hugea proportion on virtually everything in the area hence causing discomfit. As observed by the protesters, the saturation of the atmosphere by dust has continued to trigger health concerns among residents of the area.
According to environmental health experts, dusts can be toxic to the body depending on the type and size of the particle inhaled while the possible harm it may cause to health is mostly determined by the amount of dust present in the air and how long people are exposed to it. The health risk associated to the inhalation of dust particles include but not limited irritation of the eyes, coughing, sneezing, hayfever and asthma attacks. It is known fact that for people who are asthmatic or have chronic obstructive airways disease even small increase in dust concentration could be a trigger or make their health condition worse. Breathing in high concentrations of dust over a long period of time is said to also reduce lung functions and could lead to health conditions such as chronic bronchitis, heart and lung problems. Moreso, babies, young children and elderly people are also more likely to develop health problems from long term exposure to high levels of dust. So, it is for this reason that the Governor Abdulfattah Ahmed led administration should expedite action on the speedy completion of the project in order to reduce the period of exposure of residents and traders in the affected area. There is an urgent need to speed up the pace of work on the construction and the contractor should consider working round the clock (even at night times as done in developed climes) to deliver the project not just to specification but at the stipulated time.
Incontrovertibly, citizens must pay price and sacrifices made for development to take place, but it should not be at the detriment of their health. Since, the essence of infrastructural development and provision of amenities by government at all levels, is to raise standard of living of the citizenry, their lives should therefore be impacted positively by the project and not otherwise. It is for this reason that the Kwara State government should take decisive steps to tackle the rising air pollution as a result of the project and as suggested by the protesters regular wetting of the construction site should be considered by the construction company to control dust emissions. Other effective ways of curbing the situation should also be expeditiously explored.
However, it is noteworthy that the Geri-Alimi underpass project when completed will give the state capital a modern and urbanised outlook as well as address traffic situation in the area. It no doubt a laudable project, which could also serve as another avenue of generating revenue for the state.
Also worth mentioning is the similar plight of people residing in the Offa Garage area of the metropolis, where there is an ongoing Federal Government road construction. The residents and traders of the area are facing untold hardship as a result of the project. The situation is made worse for motorists who have to contend with visibility problem owing to high level of dusts while driving through the area, which exposes them to road mishap. Most commercial drivers avoid the area because of the situation, thus compounding problem of residents who always experience difficulty getting cabs to their various homes. So also, just like their counterparts living in the Geri-Alimi axis, residents of Offa Garage area suffer effect of dust pollution on their socio-economic wellbeing.
Given the associated problems of the road constructions in these areas, the federal and state governments respectively must ensure that the projects are not abandoned so that the pain of the people can on the long run translate to gain for them.
Moreover, it is the responsibility of government to protect the citizens from environmental hazard for the sake of the health as it is believed that health is wealth. It is only healthy citizens that can contribute to the economic development if the state.
