The Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have established a rapid response team to monitor and investigate air, water and noise pollution in the country.
The rapid response team will investigate and address public complaints about pollution-related issues.
The Minister for MESTI, Dr. Kwaku Afriyie, who disclosed this on Wednesday in Accra also stated that 45 monitoring and compliance vehicles have been procured for effective monitoring and compliance.
According to him, MESTI and the EPA conducted a pilot study on Antimicrobial Resistance bacteria in effluent surveillance in industrial facilities in parts of Tema.
“Thirteen percent of the effluent samples contained resistant bacteria that could pose a risk to public health,” he noted.
He said to expand Ambient Air Quality Monitoring in Ghana, MESTI and EPA have installed Low-Cost Sensor (LCS) networks in six cities across the country, namely Accra, Tema, Tamale, Takoradi, Kumasi and Ho.
Dr Afriyie said two Regulatory Grade air quality monitors have been installed at Adabraka and the University of Ghana campus to monitor particulate matter and black carbon in real-time.
He explained that the goal was to collect baseline data to help build a comprehensive database on particulate matter and the environment for public use and research.
Patience Anaadem, ISD
