The Climate Action For Sustainability and Environmental Protection in Rivers State, on Monday, May 22, 2022 made history with the launching of Air Quality Tracker App, Website and Advocacy Campaign.
The chief operation officer, Dr. Mina Ogbanga, said the launching of the Air Quality Tracker App was another milestone that has been achieved so far. She said the whole idea is to have a vision of zero soot in Rivers State and that the project started with series of activities, including a research that was carried out, which formed a design and other activities of the project.
The App according to her, is an outcome of the efforts of Rivers network of NGOs at devising a means to confirm if a local government area is clean or not, noting that the App will enable people to get real time data on the status of the air quality in a particular location.
The pilot demonstration was done on 3 local government areas, believing on the promises of ALGON and other partners to ensure it gets to all the 23 local government areas of the State for people to know the air status of the community.
She went on to say that anywhere in the world, the App will enable people to know Rivers State air status and that the App goes deeper than any other international App that covers the major cities in the world because the App will be able to give extensive feedback on the air status in all the communities in the state.
Dr. Ogbanga emphasized that the App has local flavour for international use, serves as an advocacy to enhancing planning action and support the global effort in zero carbon, “It will be used as an advocacy tool, research tool, information too and reward tool to be able to recognize those who are going out of their way in ensuring a cleaner and healthier Rivers State,” he said.
She said keeping an environment clean, having zero carbon mission, zero soot in Rivers State should be a collective effort that calls for action at all levels, adding that the Rivers network of NGOs has been doing this for over 22years, trying to work with partners to enhance the environment.
Dr. Ogbanga acknowledged that they wouldn’t have succeeded just doing it on their own but because of the support from various quarters, they are able to get to where they are.
The Chairman House Committee on Environment, Hon. Dumle Maol, Rivers State House of Assembly who was represented by Mr. Clinton Johnson said the soot in the State is a global issue but with the action taken by the state governor in the fight against the operations of illegal refineries has drastically reduced the rate of soot in the state.
He said Rivers State was among the first to pass a bill on soot that has gone through first and second reading and that when signed into law, it will fight the menace of soot in the state.
