Dr Kofi Asare, Ashanti Regional Director of Health Services, on Tuesday called on individuals, opinion leaders and organisations to assist the government in enforcing environmental protection laws.

He said children were being exposed to unhygienic practices, dangerous chemicals, unsafe drinking water and injuries.

Dr Asare, who was speaking at the launching of this year's World Health Day in Kumasi, under the theme: "Shape the future of life, creating a healthy environment for children," observed that the haphazard way structures were being sited resulted in slums and poor environmental practices.

He said: "The economic benefit of creating a healthy environment for children is only a fraction of the cost of neglect, and yet we choose to do the wrong things and pay the cost."

Dr Asare said according to World Health Organisation report, about 500,000 children between 0-14 years died annually from environmentally related diseases such as acute respiratory tract infections, diarrhoea and malaria world-wide.

He advised parents to ensure sound hygienic practices, refrain from social vices and to serve as models for their children.

A competition on healthy environmental practices was organised for schools in the Ashanti region, to reflect the theme for the celebration.

The contest was also aimed at encouraging schools to ensure healthy environment for children, who are mostly vulnerable to diseases.