Nigeria, South Africa and Egypt suffer the highest levels of air pollution in Africa, environmental NGO Greenpeace said in a new report.
The high air pollution levels have propelled the three countries to record most of the continent’s nearly one million annual air pollution-related deaths, the report added.
“Exposure to air pollution is the second leading risk factor for death in Africa,” the report added.
South Africa has especially been singled out as the leading air polluter in Africa and one of the countries with the highest air pollution-linked health risks.
It hosts two of the world’s largest and six of Africa’s biggest nitrogen dioxide emission hotspots.
Four of the country’s thermal power stations, which are run by state power provider Eskom, are among the world’s 10 largest sulphur dioxide emission points.
The report also provides accounts detailing the challenges faced by communities that have been most hit by air pollution on the continent.
“The pollution from coal plants like those operated by Sasol in our region has not only tarnished our health, leading to failed health assessments and chronic diseases… but it has also clouded our future, leaving us jobless as companies opt to hire from outside, citing our unfitness for work, ” Fana Sibanyoni, an activist from the coal-rich Mpumalanga province.
The region’s multiple coal mines and coal-fired power stations have been linked to extreme air pollution levels.