The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), says it is determined to pursue the enactment of new regulations and laws to rigidly regulate the siting of filling stations across the country.
There are complaints by residents in parts of the country about the siting of fuel stations in residential areas.
In an interview with GBC NEWS in Accra, the Executive Director of the EPA, Dr. Henry Kokofu said the existing regulations allow the establishment of the stations in certain areas which they should not be, necessitating the review of the regulations.
One Response
Bravo EPA. Finally the EPA sees the need to review regulations to address the issue of siting filling stations in residential areas. This is long overdue. As revealed by numerous research the adverse health impact on residents in close proximity to filling stations due to the emissions is astonishing and this should no longer be tolerated by the regulators and residents.
However the Same EPA under its current leadership contrary to the existing regulations have boldly given a permit for a filling station to be sited close to a creche at Kotobabi Abavana. The existing regulation as reiterated several times on numerous platforms by the Executive Director of the EPA states that there should be no public building ( Schools,Churches,Mosques and Hospitals) within 60meters of a filling station. Yet this nursery school is less than 60metres away from the site of filling station yet the proponent has been given the nod by EPA.
When the presence of the nursery was first brought to the attention of EPA, they vehemently denied that there was a nursery. One director of the EPA who claimed to have come on a verification exercise before the permit was initially given March last year argued that he did not see any school within the 60meter radius.
We can only hope that once the regulations have been amended to take the residences into consideration the EPA will STRICTLY enforce the regulations.
In the meantime to show that EPA together with their Executive Director are truly walking their talk, they must take a second look at the situation At Kotobabi Abavana and quickly rescind their decision. The health and safety of these babies and toddlers matter. As we all know that the dangerous emissions have devastating impact on the health of children.
#Fix the wrongful siting of the filling station at Kotobabi Abavana now.