THE GUARDIAN
Dr Dolapo Fasawe, the General Manager, Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), says noise pollution constitutes 81.8 per cent of environmental complaints received yearly by the agency.
Fasawe said this in a statement on the eight edition of the ”Noiseless Lagos” campaign.
She said that noise pollution had become a recurring decimal in the state’s environmental protection activities, attracting more public complaints and conflicts over the years.
Fasawe said the World Bank study had informed of the need and importance of addressing the menace of noise pollution, having discovered it as the second most significant environmental health risk factor, after air pollution.
According to her, LASEPA has the responsibility of protecting and safeguarding the environment of Lagos and its residents from all forms of environmental pollution and degradation in line with the Environmental Management and Protection Law 2017.
”Section 177 of the law clearly stipulates the prohibitions on willful actions to cause noise pollution of any environment in Lagos State.
”The need to chart a way forward, therefore, became inevitable in the quest for promoting environmental sustainability, considering the effect of noise pollution on the environment and human health, as we promote a healthier environment.
”Urban noise pollution must, therefore, be controlled, such that excessive noise does not conflict with human activities and people’s perception of wellbeing.
“It is, therefore, essential to raise awareness to reduce noise pollution in our environment,” she said.
Fasawe said the International Noise Awareness Day celebrated every last Wednesday of April, had put Lagos State on the world map, as the first city in West Africa to take steps in doing something about bothersome noise.
She said that LASEPA, being the implementing organ of the State Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources for regulating noise pollution amongst others, domesticated the campaign and tagged it ”Noiseless Lagos”.
Fasawe added that the agency, in an attempt to address noise pollution partnered the State Ministry of Transportation and the National Union of Road Transporters Workers, where free hearing tests was conducted for transporters, commuters and other road users…
