Dolapo Fasawe, the general manager of the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), says noise pollution constitutes 81.8 per cent of environmental complaints received yearly.
Ms Fasawe disclosed this in a statement on the eighth edition of the ‘Noiseless Lagos’ campaign.
She said noise pollution had become a recurring decimal, attracting more public complaints and conflicts.
Ms Fasawe said the World Bank study informed the need to address the menace of noise pollution, having discovered it as the second most significant environmental health risk factor after air pollution.
”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.
She said LASEPA, being the implementing organ of the ministry of the environment and water resources for regulating noise pollution amongst others, domesticated the campaign and tagged it ‘Noiseless Lagos’.
Ms Fasawe added LASEPA, in an attempt to address noise pollution, partnered the ministry of transportation and the National Union of Road Transporters Workers, providing free hearing tests for transporters, commuters and other road users.
She said the outcome of the test results culminated in the announcement of the ban on the use of the public address system at motor parks.
The LASEPA boss said other efforts by the agency in addressing noise pollution included awareness walks on the possible loss of hearing from excessive exposure to noise pollution and school advocacy on noise pollution.
It also included the installation of the ‘NO NOISE/NO HONKING ZONE’ signage on the premises of some schools and public hospitals.
”The strategies adopted by the agency are in partnership with various stakeholders, both public and private, to discuss the problems associated with it and to find practical solutions germane to our environment,” she noted.
The LASEPA chief mentioned that other related sources of noise pollution that are equally of concern to our environment are noise pollution from religious activities, commercial and entertainment industries, generators noise and the ones from domestic animals.
(NAN)
