26/11/2025
POOR VENTILATION & LIGHTING, THE SILENT KILLERS INSIDE MANY BUILDINGS
A month ago, a group of Environmental Health Officers went to court to get approval to pull down a dangerous building. The structure had no ventilation, no proper lighting, wet walls and cracks from top to bottom. A court order for pulling down the building was secured.
Immediately the building was pulled down, some members of the public started shouting:
“Why are these health workers wicked?”
“Why can’t they leave the house like that?”
“They want to punish the landlord”
But they didn’t understand that the officers were not being wicked. They were saving lives.
If that building had collapsed or if someone had died inside, the same people would have blamed the government and asked, “Where were the health officers?”
My people, let me say this loud and clear, any building without good ventilation and proper lighting is a death trap and as Environmental Health Officers, we don’t just “warn” we have the power to declare that building a structural nuisance and even pull it down if it is putting lives at risk. Yes, it is that serious.
✅ WHY VENTILATION MATTERS
Ventilation means fresh air entering and dirty air going out.
When a building has no good ventilation:
🔹 Heat will choke you
🔹 Breathing becomes difficult
🔹 Diseases spread faster
🔹 Children fall sick easily
🔹 Mould will grow on walls
🔹 The place will smell like something is dying
Some landlords will build one small room, put only one tiny window and expect human beings to live there.That is bad. No human being should live like a chicken inside a cage.
✅ WHY LIGHTING MATTERS
Lighting means you can see clearly, both day and night.
When a room is always dark:
🔹 You can fall
🔹 You can’t see dirt or danger
🔹 Rats and cockroaches will hide easily
🔹 It affects eyesight
🔹 It causes stress and depression
Some rooms are dark even at 12 noon, that is not a home, rather that is a hazard.
✅ WHEN A BUILDING BECOMES A STRUCTURAL NUISANCE
A building becomes a structural nuisance when the structure itself becomes a danger to human health or life. These are the common things that turn a building into a structural nuisance:
✅ LACK OF PROPER VENTILATION
No windows, small windows, blocked windows, no cross ventilation. People breathe hot, dirty, trapped air, this is dangerous.
✅ POOR LIGHTING
A building that is dark even during the day.
It encourages accidents, sickness, pests and stress.
✅ ROOMS TOO SMALL FOR HUMANS
One tiny room housing many people.
The air cannot sustain human life.
✅ DAMPNESS, MOULD AND WET WALLS
Walls always wet, smelling or growing mould.
This causes breathing problems and infections.
✅ BUILDING WITHOUT APPROVED PLANS
Illegal extensions, blocked ventilation, building too close to another building.
Anything that traps heat or blocks light becomes a hazard.
✅ WEAK, CRACKED OR FAILING STRUCTURE
Cracked walls, sinking floors, leaking roofs, weak foundation. These can collapse anytime.
✅ CONVERTING DANGEROUS SPACES INTO BEDROOMS
Turning stores, corridors, toilets, kitchens or under-stairs areas into living rooms.
✅ NO EMERGENCY EXIT
If people cannot escape quickly in case of fire, the house becomes a danger zone.
When these things happen, the building is no longer fit for humans. It becomes a public health danger and EHO must act. At this stage, Environmental Health Officers can:
✔️ Serve abatement notice
✔️ Seal the building
✔️ Evacuate the occupants
✔️ Order repairs
✔️ And if the owner refuses, pull the house down completely. Human life is more important than rent money.
✅ WHAT MUST BE DONE
To avoid sickness and avoid trouble with Environmental Health Officers:
✔️ Every room should have at least two windows
✔️ Ensure proper cross ventilation
✔️ Don’t block windows with iron, wood or attachments
✔️ Use bright paint to improve lighting
✔️ Use enough bulbs
✔️ Don’t overcrowd rooms
✔️ Don’t convert toilet, corridor or store into bedroom
✔️ Build only according to approved plan
✔️ Report any dangerous building around you
A house should give life, not take it.
Good ventilation and good lighting are not decoration. They are life-saving essentials. As Environmental Health Officers, we will continue to speak, educate and enforce because protecting life is our duty. Let us build safe houses, let us protect our families, let us do the right thing.
