2023-10-01 16:30:00
While pollution phenomena constitute the second cause of death after AIDS, Lomé is one of the cities highly exposed to this deadly scourge. But it is no coincidence that the Togolese capital has been one of the most polluted African cities for several years, and that its inhabitants are exposed to a level of pollution 4 to 5 times higher than the World Health Organization standard. health (WHO) which is 10 μg/m3 (micrograms per cubic meter of air).
The roar of engines leading to massive production of greenhouse gases at all times of the day and night: this is the daily scene in this district in the south-east of the Togolese capital, commonly called the “Port roundabout”. “. But that’s not all. In the same place, you just need to raise your eyes slightly to see these clouds of smoke which are released and are clearly visible. In the same environment, we observe illegal dumpsites flooded with plastic bags.
These piles of smoke, sources of environmental and air pollution, come from the engines of two-, three- and four-wheeled vehicles which abound in the city, as well as from the activities of the industrial free zone carried out by factories located near this roundabout. Togo’s industrial free zone includes as many factories as specialties, from the plastic, pharmaceutical, agri-food, metal, wood, clothing, synthetic hair, cosmetics and even jewelry industries.
Human, natural, harmattan activities… so many causes of pollution
A study carried out jointly by the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University (United States) and the University of Lomé, in 2021, using sensors installed in several locations in the city between 2019 and 2021, came to confirm the worst fears of experts. “87% of the 15 days spent in the Togolese capital indicate that Lomé exceeds the health recommendation set by the WHO, with regard to pollution by fine particles,” underlined Dan Westervelt – research professor at Columbia University, co-author of the study.
More precisely, “in Lomé, in particular, the causes of pollution are vehicle emissions from traffic, burning of waste and solid fuels for cooking. Lomé has a large number of motorcycles that have relatively dirty two-stroke engines,” the researcher observed.
Based on analyzes from the National Center for Scientific Research of Togo, the researchers also discovered that harmattan [un vent sec et poussiéreux qui souffle sur le Sahara entre décembre et février, NDLR] has increased the concentration of pollution by up to 58% in recent years.
Professor Tomgouani Kao, teacher of environmental sciences at the University of Kara, does not say anything else, he recognizes the extent of environmental pollution in large African cities in general and in Togo, in particular. . This growth in air pollution in Lomé is due, among other things, to “unpaved roads (bare soil), the seasonal wind coming from the Sahara, the use of wood and charcoal in homes , the uncontrolled burning of solid waste and the fairly old vehicle fleet,” he says. And continues: “Demographic growth, growing and unregulated urbanization, deforestation, the increase in solid waste burned… All of this explains this continued deterioration in air quality. »
Particles at the origin of many diseases
Faced with the scale of the scourge, the investigation also recommended that the Togolese authorities take preventive measures to protect the population. Because even though Togo has a national environmental protection policy, in particular an air quality monitoring program, it is considered insufficient. Moreover, in 2019, the WHO announced more than 8,000 premature deaths in Togo due to exposure to excessively polluted air.
A person who regularly breathes polluted air for several years can have health problems, even death, explains Doctor Soulemane Pessinaba, cardiologist at the Lomé Campus University Hospital. “Polluted air, whether outside or inside the house, will initially affect breathing, particularly the respiratory tract. This will then cause problems at the pulmonary level, while the heart and the lungs are connected,” he says, explaining: “That is to say, the heart sends blood to the lungs from a pipe called the pulmonary artery, to carry out gas exchanges in the lungs and oxygenate the blood. However, when the lung is chronically ill, you will have repercussions on the heart. This is often called cor pulmonale. It is a heart disease which is linked to lung damage. This is the first relationship that exists between this pollution and heart disease. »
Testimonials
According to Doctor Pessinaba, “the second element is that, in polluted air, there are a lot of substances, many of which will act on the vessels and there will be what we call stress. oxidative which will also promote at the level of the vessels what we call a problem of arteriosclerosis of rigidity which will be at the origin of cardiovascular diseases”, also specifies the cardiologist.
Already, many residents of the Togolese capital are realizing the sad reality, often after a short illness due to continuous exposure to air pollution. Despite everything, they put up with it: “I was hospitalized in 2022 following bronchial conditions. I have asthma and I was exposed for months to air pollution in our neighborhood where there is a waste dump that releases foul-smelling gases into the environment. Unfortunately, I can’t do anything about it, because I have just moved to this neighborhood where the air remains very polluted,” Collette Zilévu tells us.
The consequences of climate change are accelerating
In addition to these health consequences, some air pollutants, notably greenhouse gases, contribute to accelerating climate change and this climate change has harmful repercussions on the Togolese coast. Among them, we note the advancement of the sea of 1.8 to 5 meters per year, engulfing certain infrastructures in the process (mainly due to the construction of certain dams and the port of Lomé), an increase in erosion of Togolese coasts in recent years to the point that many villages built along the coast are threatened with disappearance.
The Ministry of the Environment and Forest Resources aims to implement an air quality monitoring project which will make it possible to acquire equipment allowing the quality to be regularly monitored through air sampling and to provide advice to the population. Measures are being taken to “encourage owners of vehicles and motorcycles to maintain them properly in order to truly avoid the malfunction that causes pollution,” explains Yao Merry, director of the environment of the ministry concerned. “Incentive measures are also being taken at the level of tax services to eliminate value added tax (VAT) on electric and hybrid vehicles whose use the government encourages. And, we think that if the proportion of electric vehicles becomes significant in traffic to the detriment of gasoline vehicles, the problem of pollution will also be solved,” explains Yao Merry.
Government responses to be improved
With the aim of mitigating the environmental impact in the port sector, the Ministry of Maritime Economy, Fisheries and Coastal Protection supports the autonomous port of Lomé in the implementation of an environmental policy based on several strategic axes including pollution prevention, waste and energy management.
To protect air, water and soil, a series of preventive measures have been put in place at the port of Lomé. These measures include the use of modern handling and storage equipment to reduce exhaust and dust emissions, the use of wastewater treatment and rainwater collection systems used on the port platform to prevent water pollution, and the use of storage and cargo handling methods that minimize the risk of soil contamination.
Whether it is preventing air, water or soil pollution, the Port of Lomé also monitors quality by carrying out treatments to ensure that pollution levels meet established international standards.
Regarding energy management, in line with the government’s energy policy, the port is committed to reducing its energy consumption and increasing the use of renewable energy. According to the Minister of Maritime Economy, Fisheries and Coastal Protection, Mr. Kokou Edem Tengue, the policy is focused on the implementation of energy efficiency measures aimed at reducing energy consumption in port buildings by opting for solar panels to produce green energy.
For effective waste management, the port of Lomé also has a management system that allows the collection, sorting and elimination of waste generated by port activities in a responsible and environmentally friendly manner.
But these strategies “do not seem effective”, underlines Professor Tomgouani Kao. The latter believes that “the national environmental policy must be further enriched. It must be popularized and truly applied by all stakeholders,” he indicated. In particular, he suggests that efficient air quality measurement stations be acquired and installed on well-chosen sites in advance. In anticipation, strategies to reduce anthropogenic emissions must be developed. And, facing the harmattan, it would be necessary to reforest from the savannah region (located 650 kilometers north of the capital).
To stop pollution, this deadly scourge, a budget of 60 million CFA francs has been planned to finance several activities of the environmental action plan of the autonomous port of Lomé during 2023.
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