Dealing with noise and air pollution in Lagos

One reason living in most of our urban areas is hellish for many is the unacceptable levels of air and noise pollution. To ameliorate this sad situation, the  Lagos State government has decided to enforce its laws on this menace. The decision, which is long overdue, has seen no fewer than 30 facilities scattered all over the megacity caught in the web of justice.

To underscore how bad the situation is, a recent report said about 60 per cent of Lagos residents are either technically or partially deaf on account of noise pollution. Apart from the air pollution and high noise levels from electricity generators on account of the erratic power supply in many parts of the country, most of the places responsible for this situation are religious houses and recreational outlets, especially hotels.

In its determined effort to give vent to the law against noise and air pollution, the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) sealed off offending premises in Ketu, Ikorodu, Ibeju-Lekki, Victoria Island and Surulere.

The government’s action is clearly indicative of its resolve to deal with the problem, but it must spread its dragnet to every nook and cranny of the megacity. This problem is ubiquitous and overwhelming. Because of the activities of some religious adherents, residents are not able to get the desired rest at night and even during the day. The noise from churches and mosques   endanger their mental and physical health. Long forgotten, it seems, is the injunction in many of the world’s religions for their adherents to be their brothers’ keepers.

We call on religious organisations to demonstrate self-restraint in worship and spare a thought for their neighbours. The way some of them carry on gives cause for concern on public health.
This is why everyone, especially those living with sources of noise and other environmental pollution who bear the brunt of the problem, have a duty to always alert LASEPA to the pollution so that the offenders can be brought to book.

We also encourage the government to increase surveillance and enforcement of its laws on this problem until Lagos residents imbibe the culture of respect for their environment. No one has the right to abridge the rights of another under the guise of fulfilling his own religious or business interests. This is what this law is about, and the message must be properly and decisively handed down.

Going forward, government should carefully consider the location of new religious facilities with the aim of restricting them from purely residential areas. While the damage has already been done in the siting of many of these places of worship too close to residential areas in the past, the future can be saved. If they cannot conduct their activities with decorum and consideration, then they must accept the little inconvenience of travelling some distance to exercise their rights to worship in the way they want. A number of worship places located along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway are already showing good examples in this regard.

There is hardly any other state in the country that does not have this problem. We call on them to follow the Lagos example and nip such unwholesome development in the bud before they get out of hand. Where laws are not in place yet, they should be codified and enforced to the letter. They owe their citizens no less responsibility in this regard.

Indeed, this is the time to set acceptable emission levels for air and noise pollution in all states. The problem contributes to poor quality of life and probably low life expectancy in many parts of our urban areas, and should be curtailed.

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