Act to stop increasing soil pollution by heavy metals - SRI

Kumasi, June 20, GNA - The Soil Research Institute (SRI), of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), has warned against increasing soil pollution through unsafe disposal of waste from auto mechanic workshops.

It said the alarming trend of heavy metals discharge into the soil and water sources could have dire consequences - cause great harm to the people.

This is contained in an annual report of the Institute, a copy, was made available to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Kumasi.

The warning is based on the findings of a study conducted by a team of researchers at the SRI - Adams Sadick, E.O. Adjei, R. Amfo-Out, S. J. Acquah, K. A. Nketia and E. Asamoah.

Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and the Presbyterian University College were the collaborating institutions.

The report indicated that spent lubricants, hydraulic fluids, worn-out parts, metal scraps, used batteries and stripped oil sludge contained heavy metals including copper, lead, cadmium, zinc, manganese and nickel - all of these posed risk to human health and the environment, especially soil fertility.

It added that the situation could not be allowed to continue and that it was time the appropriate state institutions acted to get things done properly.

It asked that the auto mechanics were assisted - properly trained on how to safely dispose of waste from their operations.

GNA

By Josephine Nyarkoh, GNA