Noise pollution: Lagos bans use of sound amplifiers in public places

By Ibrahim Adeleke

The Lagos State Government has placed a ban on the use of sound amplifiers, microphone and other forms of sound systems at motor garages and parks across the state, aimed at curtailing noise pollution.

The Special Adviser to Governor on Transportation, Oluwatoyin Fayinka, announced this at a joint-press briefing organised by the Lagos State Ministry of Environment through the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency, LASEPA and the Ministry of Transportation, at Alausa, Lagos.

Fayinka said the measure became necessary following series of public complaints and attendant health hazards posed to residents.

He said government had identified areas where the act was prevalent and vowed to enforce the rules to the letter.

Speaking on the penalty, Fayinka said any park that flouts the directive would be shut while the transporters and managers of the parks would be dealt with in accordance with the law.

Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transportation, Dr. Gaji Tajudeen, said noise pollution is the most prevalent of the complaints received annually, accounting for 75 per cent of total complaints.

He added that the complaints are mostly anthropogenic, and not limited to transport, religious, commercial, industrial, entertainment, and power generating amongst others sources.

According to him, “noise pollution which is an unwanted sound in excess of the permissible limits has become very prevalent in Lagos environment. The menace is causing stress with severe health implications, while those with long term exposure are more likely to suffer from hearing loss that is detrimental to human health.

“Noise pollution is the major leading public complaints received at the Agency, ranging from the transport sector, religious, commercial and entertainment industry, domestic animals, and power generators among others.

“Adults are believed to be the ones thought to show great concerns from problems associated with noise pollution, but children are quite vulnerable as well, more so as there are no known visible symptoms at early age.

“Citizens are better informed of their rights to a safe and healthy environment following various advocacy programmes of the Agency through electronic and print media.

“The most widely being the social media handles of the Agency and its website,” he said.

The General Manager of LASEPA, Dr Dolapo Fasawe, said from Wednesday (today) it is illegal for any motor park in Lagos to make use of sound amplifiers and other noise-making devices while calling on passengers, saying that any park found doing so would face the wrath of the law.

She said that section 177 of the Lagos State Environmental Management and Protection Law 2017 prohibits the use of public address system or loudspeaker to solicit for passengers or advertise the sale of goods at parks, markets and public places.

Fasawe said there is a specified amount of decibel of noise required in the day time and night, adding that anyone who flouts the new directive would be severely sanctioned.

The Consultant Expert in the Noiseless Lagos Project, Professor Ade Owolawi, said that it was unfortunate most Nigerians are suffering from hearing impairments due to excessive exposure to noise pollution, adding that most transporters are have hearing issues due to their exposure to noise pollution at their motor parks.

Owolawi, who said no fewer than 8.5 million Nigerians are suffering from hearing impairments, stressed that study conducted at the motor parks showed that 17 per cent of the people working in the parks are suffering from hearing impairments as a result of the noise pollution.

He described the rate at which the figure of affected Nigerians was increasing as alarming, calling for government’s intervention toward addressing the situation.

Owolawi added that despite the fact that most of the people are the motor parks are suffering from hearing, they are fond of using a very loud horn, saying that most of them engage in the practice unknowingly without recourse to harmful effects of the practice on their health.