Perception of Port Harcourt Residents on Governments' Interventions towards Air Quality: The Implication for Air Pollution Policy Accountability Framework

Globally, air pollution continues to constitute a major environmental and health risk to inhabitants. The geometric rise in population, industrialization and urbanization, especially in urban centres of developing countries, calls for more research and development in the field of air pollution accountability, policy and regulatory assessments. A descriptive cross-sectional survey designed to assess the perception of Port Harcourt residents on Governments? interventions towards air quality was carried out using the convenience/purposive sampling methods. Data was collected from 362 respondents using self-administered questionnaire and analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) statistical software, version 26.0.Over two-third of the respondents self-rated the abundance of vegetation in their area between low (48.6%, n=176) and very low (20.2%, n=73). Only 5 (1.4%) of the respondents reported having air quality monitoring station or gadget in their area, neighbourhood, work place, school or place of worship. Over three-quarter of the respondents rated government?s policy towards air pollution mitigation as poor (36.2%; n=131) and very poor (48.3%; n=175). Also, 353 (97.5%) of the respondents, desired to have "access to clean air" enshrined in States' laws as fundamental human right. Air quality accountability and regulatory framework and legislations such as clean air act, hinged on technologies targeted at preventing emissions, and contextual strategies, systematic routine air quality monitoring, collaboration between public health and environment agencies and consistent communication and participation of citizens are necessary, especially in air polluted cities such as Port Harcourt metropolis.