CREATING AWARENESNESS ON SUSTAINABLE BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION IN GHANA

        workers at quarry site .                 credit: Perez Dotse Unregulated stone quarry is transforming a once verdant hill into a landscape, leaving behind exposed rocks and soil. Residents living near the quarrying site are witnessing the rapid degradation of their environment firsthand. The once-fertile ground is now exposed and barren, revealing the earth's embrace. The people of Kwabenya are the resident humans that work at the quarrying site. Few of them shared their experiences. According to Daavi, a worker at the quarrying site who is involved in the stone quarrying activity, she does stone  quarrying to earn a living for herself and her two kids, who are currently at the university. She does that due to the high unemployment rate in the country. A resident living close to the quarry site mentioned bitterly that the stone quarrying activity is rapidly destroying and degrading the environment and land. The...

  Stone quarry site               Credit: Belinda Ampofo Author: Belinda Ampofo. The destruction of mountains can have far-reaching consequences on climate change, leading to significant changes in rainfall patterns and impacting the environment, ecosystems, and human communities. Rain patterns are vital in mountain ecosystems as they determine the availability of water resources for both humans and wildlife. When mountains are destroyed or altered, the natural processes that regulate rainfall are disrupted, resulting in alterations in precipitation levels and patterns. One of the consequences of changes in rainfall patterns is the increased risk of flooding and landslides in mountainous regions. This poses risks to human lives and infrastructure, while also contaminating water sources and spreading pollutants, ultimately affecting water quality and ecosystem health. Changes in rainfall patterns can have a significant impact on local economie...

  Quarrying site                                                                          credit: Erasmus Oppong Author: Erasmus Oppong Tetteh Trees, mankind’s major source of oxygen, suffer due to some irresponsible activities that individuals engage in. Over the years, the rampant growth in the human population has created more harm than good to the environment. In the quest to build more lavish and so-called “modern” homes, we tend to deplete our soils, cut down trees without replacing them, and pollute our precious waters. A journey to a stone quarrying site in Ghana explains the harm we are likely to face in a few years. The people of Katapor, a town in Kwabenya, are the resident human resources that work at this stone quarrying site. Some, who have lived there for over the past 50 years, shared...

  Dusty atmosphere                 Credit: Abdul Hamid Amama  Author:  Abdul Hamid Amama As I stood at the sand-winning and gravel stone site in Kwabenya, I witnessed firsthand the devastating effects of unsustainable construction practices on air quality and land management. The site, surrounded by once-pristine mountains, was now a hub of environmental destruction. The air was thick with dust and particulate matter, polluting the atmosphere and posing serious health risks to nearby communities. The mountains, once a natural beauty, were being ravaged by excavation and drilling, leaving behind a trail of destruction and soil erosion. The site's activities were not only harming the environment but also damaging the health and wellbeing of the workers and nearby residents. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution is a major environmental risk factor for public health in Ghana, with an estimated 12,200 pre...

sand winning site                    Credit: Isaac Amoako Antwi Author:   Isaac Amoako Antwi In our team of six dedicated members from the University of Media, Arts and Communication - Institute of Journalism, we are tasked with creating awareness on building sustainably. Our goal is to assess the negative implications of stone and sand winning from our mountains on the environment.  Revealing the Impact of not Building and Constructing Sustainably Our initial mission is to analyze the correlation between the materials used in building and construction, its sustainability. We will delve into how the depletion of our mountains for construction purpose affects the environment as a whole.  By understanding the consequences depleting our mountains, we believe all sundries will come on board to persevere our mountains and promote sustainable building practices. Assessing the impact of Sand and Stone mining on Stakeholders ...