Headlines

Kano most polluted city in Africa–Research

Published

4 days ago

November 7, 2019

By Mukhtar Yahya Usman

A report by IQ Airvisual, an international organization based in Switzerland has ranked Kano as the most polluted city in Africa, with levels of air pollution reaching up to 54.4 percent.

According to the report, some of the major causes of the high pollution in the city include industrial toxic waste, vehicle exhaust fumes, kerosene and firewood burning.

The study also rated Kampala, the Ugandan capital as the second most polluted city after Kano, followed by Port Harcourt in Rivers state which is third and then Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia as the fourth most polluted African city.

Moreover the report rated Nigeria among the top ten most polluted countries in the world with Nigeria alone accounting for 44.8 percent air pollution, followed by Uganda and Ethiopia.

According to IQ Airvisual, Africa is struggling with lack of effective information gathering mechanism that would help the continent in assessing its level of pollution.

What is air pollution?

Air pollution is a mixture of natural and man-made substances in the air we breathe. It is a major environmental risk to health.

Around 3 billion people still cook and heat their homes using solid fuels in open fires and leaky stoves which are the major sources of air pollution.

Impact on health

At least 3.8 million people die prematurely every year from illness attributable to household air pollution caused by the inefficient use of solid fuels and kerosene for cooking. Among the 3.8 million deaths:

27% are due to pneumonia
18% from stroke
27% from ischaemic heart disease
20% from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
8% from lung cancer

Pneumonia

Exposure to household air pollution almost doubles the risk for childhood pneumonia and is responsible for 45% of all pneumonia deaths in children less than 5 years old. Household air pollution also carries high risk for acute lower respiratory infections (pneumonia) in adults, and contributes to 28% of all adult deaths to pneumonia.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

One in four or 25% of premature deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in adults in low- and middle-income countries are due to exposure to household air pollution. Women exposed to high levels of indoor smoke are more than two times as likely to suffer from COPD than women who use cleaner fuels and technologies. Among men (who already have a heightened risk of COPD due to their higher rates of smoking), exposure to household air pollution nearly doubles that risk.

Stroke

12% of all premature deaths due to stroke can be attributed to the daily exposure to household air pollution arising from cooking with solid fuels and kerosene.

Ischaemic heart disease

Approximately 11% of all deaths due to ischaemic heart disease, accounting for over a million premature deaths annually, can be attributed to exposure to household air pollution.

Lung cancer

Approximately 17% of premature lung cancer deaths in adults are attributable to exposure to carcinogens from household air pollution caused by cooking with kerosene or solid fuels like wood, charcoal or coal. The risk for women is higher, due to their role in food preparation.

Other health impacts and risks

More generally, small particulate matter and other pollutants in indoor smoke inflame the airways and lungs, impairing immune response and reducing the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood.

Related Topics:air pollution in kano industrial waste in kano kano pollution vehicle fumes

Up Next

Ganduje leaves for US

Don't Miss

Ganduje presents N197b budget for 2020

Click to comment

Headlines

Kano APC denies PDP claims of plot to change Appeal Court judges

Published

2 hours ago

November 11, 2019

Kano Focus

Mukhtar Yahya Usman

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kano state has denied allegations by the opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) of a plan to influence the choice of Court of Appeal judges who will preside over the Kano governorship election appeal.

KANO FOCUS recalls that the PDP made the allegation in a statement issued on Sunday in Kano.

Kano state commissioner for information Muhammad Garba characterized the PDP allegations as “blatant lies intended to blackmail the Appeal Court as it clearly indicated that the opposition party is jittery, confused and afraid of possible loss at the Court”.

Mr Garba, in a statement issued on Monday alleged that the PDP usually spread lies whenever it realizes that it was about to lose an election.

He said the APC and its candidate have confidence in the outcome of the Appeal Court judgment and they are not planning to disrupt the judicial process.

He added that the Kano state government will not allow the PDP to incite violence through misguided statements.

Headlines

PDP accuses APC, Ganduje of plotting to change Kano guber appeal judges

Published

21 hours ago

November 10, 2019

Kano Focus

By Mukhtar Yahya Usman

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of plotting to change the judges that have been already assigned to preside over the Kano state Governorship Election Appeals Panel.

Kano Focus recalls that the PDP and its candidate in Kano Abba Yusuf have filed an appeal at the Kaduna Division of the Appeal Court, after their petition challenging the victory of Mr Ganduje, was dismissed by the Kano Election Tribunal led by Justice Halima Shamaki.

In a statement on Sunday, signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, the PDP alleged that there are “plots to replace the judges with pliable ones, who have been compromised and briefed to alter justice and do the bidding of the APC and Governor Ganduje.”

“The PDP invites Nigerians to note that the sitting of the panel, which was moved from Monday, November 11 to Tuesday November 12, 2019 due to the public holiday on Monday, had been adjourned indefinitely.

“We have reports that this was due to pressure being mounted by the APC and agents of Governor Ganduje to alter the list of the judges.

“Our party has also been reliably informed that the indefinite adjournment was to enable the replacement of the already announced judges with pliable officials who will manipulate the judicial process in favour of the APC,” Mr Ologbondiyan said.

The opposition party also claimed that even before the commencement of the appeal hearing, supporters of Mr Ganduje have already started celebrating victory.

“Already, the supporters of Governor Ganduje are in jubilant mode, claiming that they have moved beyond the Court of Appeal, even when the panel is yet to commence sitting.

“Nigerians will recall that similar scenario played out during the composition of the Kano Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, when the initial judges were changed after which the judgment went in favour of Ganduje and the APC to the chagrin of the people.

“With the on-going plot by the APC, Ganduje’s supporters have been going about boasting that the Court of Appeal judges, that were already announced and expected the commence sitting on Tuesday, will be changed to suit the interest of the APC and Governor Ganduje,” the statement said.

“The PDP cautions that any change in the already listed judges could trigger tension and crisis in the state, given the demand of the people for justice.

“Our party therefore calls on the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, not to allow anybody to draw her into the arena by ensuring that the already constituted panel is not in anyway altered,” it added.

Headlines

Kano kidney patient, who sought N15m for transplant, dies

Published

21 hours ago

November 10, 2019

Kano Focus

By Nasiru Yusuf

A kidney disease patient, Mahmud Aminu Daneji who sought N15 million medical assistance for transplant in India has died.

Mr Daneji popularly known as ” Mamuda Elder” died on Sunday at the age of 46 and left behind a wife and a son.

He died while seeking N15 million assistance to enable him travel to India for kidney transplant.

His funeral prayer is scheduled to take place on Monday morning at Layin Bata, Gadon Kaya quarters in Kano city.

In an interview recently, Mr Daneji had told Kano Focus that his two kidneys failed simultaneously in 2001 after he was struck by severe hypertension.

“I used to be a very healthy and productive man before hypertension struck me down. I was living my life happily when suddenly my blood pressure shot to over 220 in March 2001,” he had said.

In October 2006, Mr Daneji had a successful kidney transplant, which worked for four years before it also failed in 2010.

He had explained that since since 2001 he had undergone more than 1,473 dialysis sessions.