IPM

Integrated pest management (IPM), also known as integrated pest control (IPC) is a broad-based approach that integrates practices for economic control of pests. IPM aims to suppress pest populations below the economic injury level (EIL). 

The rains are here! Change your attitude towards the environment.

The rains are here again, we have to start thinking about flood particularly those living in coastal cities. Flooding is a major problem in a city like Lagos surrounded by various water bodies including the Lagos lagoon. However, in as much as flooding is a natural phenomenon, some human activities aggravate it. It is common sight to see wastes disposed or kept by the roadside and when rain falls, it flushes part of the rubbish into the drainage. There is a nonchalant attitude towards issues of the environment, people dispose indiscriminately waste nylons, pure water sachets, rubbish etc on the floor. This we do, (am using the word ‘we’ because everyone is guilty) without considering the future consequences of that singular action. Everyone believes their actions does not count and will have no effect on the environment, but it does.  We get back what we put into the environment. In a study by Aderogba in 2012, he observed that blockage of drainage channels contribute about 97.55% of the major causes of floods in Nigerian cities. As we prepare for the rainy season, all hands must be on deck to ensure that all human induced actions that promote flooding are discontinued. Consequently, we must all endorse attitudinal change towards the environment. Do not dispose waste indiscriminately on the floor, have the mindset that protecting the environment is your business, teach your kids to have respect for the environment we live in, keep the environment and love the environment!

Nigeria: Over Three Million Lives Lost to Air Pollution Annually - World Health Organisation (WHO)

 Air pollution is a major problem particularly in an urban city like Lagos, people are so nonchalant about issues related to the environment, it is time we take the environment more seriously. There are serious health implication if urgent action is not taken.  I stumbled on this article by Chioma Obinna in the Vanguard of May 13, 2016. Enjoy the read.

The World Health Organisation, WHO, yesterday raised the alarm over urban air pollution sustained rise at an alarming rate, saying that over 3 million premature deaths are recorded worldwide every year.

The Global health body also warned that more than 80 percent of people living in urban areas that monitor air pollution are exposed to air quality levels that exceed WHO limits.

In its latest urban air quality database, WHO noted that while all regions of the world are affected, populations in low-income cities are the most impacted.

According to the report, 98 percent of cities in low- and middle income countries with more than 100 000 inhabitants do not meet WHO air quality guidelines.

The report which compared a total of 795 cities in 67 countries for levels of small and fine particulate matter between 2008-2013 revealed that global urban air pollution levels increased by 8 percent, despite improvements in some regions.

The highest urban air pollution levels were experienced in low-and middle-income countries in WHO's Eastern Mediterranean and South-East Asia Regions, with annual mean levels often exceeding 5-10 times WHO limits, followed by low-income cities in the Western Pacific Region.

"In the African Region urban air pollution data remains very sparse, however available data revealed particulate matter (PM) levels above the median. The database now contains PM measurements for more than twice as many cities than previous versions, the report disclosed.

Reacting to the report, WHO Director, Department of Public Health, Environmental and Social Determinants of Health, Dr Maria Neira said: "Urban air pollution continues to rise at an alarming rate, wreaking havoc on human health."

Neira who noted that awareness is on the increase added that when air quality improves, global respiratory and cardiovascular-related illnesses will decrease.

"Most sources of urban outdoor air pollution are well beyond the control of individuals and demand action by cities, as well as national and international policymakers to promote cleaner transport, more efficient energy production and waste management.

"More than half of the monitored cities in high-income countries and more than one-third in low- and middle-income countries reduced their air pollution levels by more than 5 percent in five years.

Neira stressed that reducing industrial smokestack emissions, increasing use of renewable power sources, like solar and wind, and prioritising rapid transit, walking and cycling networks in cities are among the suite of available and affordable strategies.

"It is crucial for city and national governments to make urban air quality a health and development priority," WHO's Dr Carlos Dora added.

Dora further stated that "when air quality improves, health costs from air pollution-related diseases shrink, worker productivity expands and life expectancy grows. Reducing air pollution also brings an added climate bonus, which can become a part of countries' commitments to the climate treaty."

WHO Assistant-Director General, Family, Women and Children's Health, Dr. Flavia Bustreo also stated that air pollution is a major cause of disease and death.

According Bustreo, "It is good news that more cities are stepping up to monitor air quality, so when they take actions to improve it they have a benchmark. When dirty air blankets our cities the most vulnerable urban populations--the youngest, oldest and poorest--are the most impacted."

Pest

According to wikipedia, A pest is "a plant or animal detrimental to humans or human concerns (as agriculture or livestock production)"; alternative meanings include organisms that cause nuisance and epidemic disease associated with high mortality (specifically: plague). In its broadest sense, a pest is a competitor of humanity. There are different definitions of a pest........