Kogi State Government has urged residents of the state to take the issue of air pollution very seriously and avoid any act that can result into environmental pollution.
The state’s Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Pharm. Sanusi Usman Yahaya, made the call in Lokoja on the sidelines of this year’s WED.
He said once the air is polluted, the quality being inhaled becomes an issue which is injurious to health and could cause chronic diseases such as lung cancer and trigger asthma, among others.
He stressed the need for the general public to be constantly reminded onthe importance of the environment and to pay attention to their surroundings as regard land and water.
‘’As a government, we have enacted laws through the State House of Assembly that created the State Environmental Protection Board, through the law setting up the board in 2018.
‘’The law has provisions that limit human activities and level of emission that is allowed from burning of fossil fuels through equipment, machineries, vehicles, coals, quarry activities, among others.
‘’It also has provision against burning of bush, solid wastes, and all other activities that release these particles and other gases as pollutants into the atmosphere,’’ he said.