By Olimatou Coker
The National Environment Agency (NEA) in partnership with the West Africa Coastal Areas Management Program (WACA) Monday validated its environmental quality standards regulations 2025.
Held at NACCUG conference hall, the validation aimed at finalising a comprehensive environmental quality framework that aligns with emerging issues and ensure continued enforceable pollution control measures.
Njagga Touray, Deputy Executive Director of NEA, said the world is faced with the triple planetary crisis, including climate change, nature, and biodiversity loss and pollution.
He said pollution is one of the 3 crises that the globe is faced with.
“So environmental quality standards are important to provide those legally binding policies to limit the level of pollution. When we talk about pollution, it is very broad. It touches air pollution, water pollution, soil pollution, and even the food that we eat.”
As a result of plastic pollution, he added, scientists have started realising some traces of microplastics in our bloodstream, brain, and sensitive body organs.
“That tells us clearly that pollution is moving to another level beyond what we are used to. So that makes it more threatening and calls for assertive efforts,” he said.
