Emmanuel Thomas
[wysija_form id=”1″]April 29, 2015 – Lagos State Government has said that it shut down a total of 24 churches and mosques in the last one year for noise pollution. It also shut down 38 companies for issues relating to environmental degradation.
General Manager, Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), Mr. Adebola Shabi made the revelation at the annual ministerial press briefing in Lagos.
He said the churches and mosques sanctioned were those who refused to abate noise after repeated warning adding that affected organisations are usually given up to 10 days to abate noise before being visited with sanctions.
He said that religious organisations are the major culprit of noise pollution in Lagos State.
Significantly, he said there has been some level of compliance among them. According to him, out of the 67 cases reported, nine percent of reported cases abated while 91 percent refused to abate nuisance.
He said that 51cases involving residential buildings were reported, 14 percent abated while 86 percent were adamant.
For night clubs, he said the agency received complaints about some of the night clubs but that most of them have abated nuisance.
He said that LASEPA initiative has resulted in most companies complying with standards dictated by the agency.
He said that before 2007, almost all the oil and gas facilities had oil water separator(OWS) but that the intervention of the agency has forced some to upgrade their OWS to include a chlorination tank to disinfect waste water before it is passed into the environment.
