Developing a criteria for measuring the environmental performance of construction activities in Ghana
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Date
2021-06-23
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Abstract
Construction is the mainstay of every economy and contributes immensely to the gross
domestic product. Its contribution toward the development of any nation cannot be under
estimated. Despite the massive benefits drive from this construction activities it impacts
negatively on the environment throughout the life cycle of development. These impacts occur
from early work on-site through the construction period, operational period and to the final
demolition when a building comes to an end of its life. This sector has purported to be
considered as one of the main sources of environmental pollution and waste in the world. It
has massive direct and indirect effects on the environment. The Economy of Ghana is
experiencing widespread construction projects which increases the pressure on the
environment and generate various waste. Environmental protection is an important issue in
developed and developing countries which must be taken into accounts. Construction is not
an environmentally friendly process by nature as indicated by some researchers. The study
aim to develop a criteria for measuring the environmental performance of construction
activities in Ghana. Giving more drive to the study, emphasis was laid on the following
objectives which formed the core component of this study; assessing the major impact of
construction activities on the environment during the construction process, determining the
perceptions of construction experts (structural engineers, architects and quantity surveyors ),
consultants and contractors concerning the influences of construction activities on the
environment in Ghana, determining the most significant factors that influence material waste
production during construction as well as proposing and validating a workable criteria for
measuring the environmental performance of construction activities in Ghana. The main tools
for the collection of data included questionnaires, interviews and site observations. The
target population for the data collection included structural engineer‟s project managers
architectural and quantity surveying firms. Statistical package for social scientists (SPSS
version 20.0) was employed to analyze data obtained. Relative Importance Index was also
applied. The resultant outcome from the analysis indicated that consumption of large
amounts of energy during the processing of materials, construction processes and in the use
of constructed structures, dust and gas emission released during the production and
transportation of materials, disruption of people living in the vicinity of construction projects
through traffic diversion, noise pollution and others, Production of substantial volumes of
waste and Waste water discharge are most important factors that impact on the environment
during the construction process. Similarly Raw materials consumption was determined by all
respondents under the resource consumption group of environmental impacts as the principal
environmental impact of construction activities in Ghana. The study revealed that poor
delivery method, poor product knowledge, inclement weather and lack of training account for
material waste generation during construction. It is therefore recommended with a cue from
this study that, the national building regulations should be reviewed to take into consideration
of environmental regulations. Similarly, all forms of construction activities should be
subjected to an environmental impact assessment to determine the potential impacts and also
come up with some measures before they are executed
Description
A thesis submitted to the Department of Construction and Management Technology, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science.
Keywords
criteria, environmental performance