The Republic of Ghana is a small but populous West African country snuggled between the Ivory Coast and Togo on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. The country is culturally, economically, and ecologically diverse, home to savannahs and tropical rainforests. Its economy relies on tourism, manufacturing, and oil and natural gas production.
Ghana is one of the most polluted countries in the world. This article will cover these scales by which pollution in Ghana is measured:
Summary of Environmental Pollution in Ghana
Ghana’s environmental pollution is one of the worst of all countries that have been evaluated by Yale University’s Environmental Performance Index (EPI) study. Overall, it ranks at the bottom of the EPI’s 2020 scoring, at 168 out of 180–only 12 countries have a pollution rating worse than Ghana’s.
Download Full Report: Ghana EPI Country Profile
Ghana’s Country Scorecard shows a clear picture of its state of environmental pollution compared to the rest of the world. Ghana performs below the world average in almost every category and below the regional average in most categories. Waste Management and Water Resources are two of Ghana’s biggest environmental polluting areas.
Ghana Air Pollution
Air quality in Ghana overall ranks very low, at 169 out of 180. Ghana’s annual mean concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is three times greater than the recommended maximum of 10 µg/m3 (World Health Organization air quality standards). The annual mean concentration of fine particulate matter puts them at a ranking of 160 out of 180 evaluated countries.
The fine particulate matter contributing to Ghana’s air pollution comes from mostly industrial sources including:
- Mining
- Forestry
- Smelting
- Waste burning
Ghana’s air pollution reaches its worst levels in the winter months when industrial pollution is combined with fine particulates of sand seasonally blown in from the Sahara Desert.
The particulate matter present in Ghana’s air is bad enough on most days of the year that it can cause health issues for at-risk groups.
Learn more about air quality standards and measurement.
Ghana Water Pollution
Ghana’s water is slightly less polluted compared to its air, but its water is still polluted enough to cause harm to humans and ecosystems. As of the most recent analysis, the Water Resources Commission estimates that 60% of Ghana’s water bodies are polluted. The main sources of pollution include:
- Industrial waste
- Illegal mining
- Farming
- Household disposal
All of the above practices combined with insufficient infrastructure and waste management practices mean runoff of toxins into bodies of water.
Learn more about water pollution and how it is measured.
Ghana Water Quality
Ghana has relatively unsafe drinking water due to agricultural, industrial, and residential runoff combined with insufficient wastewater treatment, which is a metric where Ghana also ranks towards the bottom.
Drinking Water
- Rank: 136/180
- EPI Score: 20.8/100
Wastewater Treatment
- Rank: 134/180
These scores mean that most of the accessible drinking water in Ghana is not safe to drink. According to the WHO, only 18% of Ghanaians have access to water that is safely managed.
Ghana Land Pollution
Along with industrial water pollution, smelting factories create runoff that negatively impacts soil health. In fact, more than half of the soil in Ghana contains over twice the amount of lead allowed by the EPA.
Solid Waste Management
- Rank: 133/180
Lead Exposure
- Rank: 72/180
- EPI Score: 55.3
Ecosystem Services
- Rank: 168/180
- EPI Score: 15.4
E-waste and unregulated or illegal industry combined with improper solid waste management contributes greatly to the land pollution seen across Ghana. The biggest land pollution issue in Ghana, however, is habitat loss, which is what the “Ecosystem Services” score measures. When habitat is lost in Ghana, it is converted to agricultural or industrial land which both cause land pollution.
Land pollution impacts soil health and ecosystems and can also be a source of water pollution as the toxins leech through the soil into water sources.
Key Takeaways…
Here’s a summary of what we covered regarding pollution in Ghana:
- Overall EPI Ranking: 168/180
- Air Pollution: High levels of particulate matter from industry and waste burning.
- Air Pollution Rank: 169/180
- Water Pollution: Most water bodies are polluted and tap water is unsafe to drink.
- Drinking water ranking: 136/180
- Wastewater treatment ranking: 134/180
- Land Pollution: High levels of E-waste and soil pollution, poor solid waste management, and lots of habitat loss.
- Solid Waste Management Rank: 133/180
- Lead exposure ranking: 72/180
- Ecosystem Services rank: 168/180