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Some Polluting Effects of Small‐Scale Industrial Production in theCentral Region of Ghana
Author(s) -
Kendie S.B.,
DeGraft Johnson J.W.K.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
singapore journal of tropical geography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.538
H-Index - 42
eISSN - 1467-9493
pISSN - 0129-7619
DOI - 10.1111/1467-9493.00050
Subject(s) - streams , scale (ratio) , stillage , environmental science , production (economics) , business , rural area , developing country , wastewater , environmental protection , water resource management , environmental engineering , geography , economic growth , economics , medicine , computer network , chemistry , cartography , food science , pathology , fermentation , computer science , macroeconomics
Environmental impact assessments in developing countries are generally required for new large and medium‐scale enterprises. However, a larger proportion of production takes place in the very small and micro‐scale sector. This sector is characterised by low incomes and high levels of illiteracyamong the operators, both of which limit awareness of the polluting effects of their activities. The paper examines the environmental impacts of small‐scale alcohol distilleries in the rural areas of the Central region of Ghana. The distillers covered in the study lacked information about the pollutionthey caused and continued to discharge large volumes of stillage (hot wastewater) into adjoining streams which are important sources of drinking water supply in rural Ghana. The discharge of waste products from the distilleries polluted the streams with negative implications for aquatic life as well as human health.