NOISE POLLUTION: LAGOS SHUTS 53 CHURCHES, MOSQUES

Some of the worship centres were sealed because they were converted from residential apartments to places of worship thereby contravening the law and constituting nuisance to other neighbours.

Confirming the development, the General Manager, Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency, LASEPA, Engr Adebola Shabi, said the agency received lots of complaints from residents and neighbours about the nuisance constituted by the premises shut by the agency.

“In recent times, most of the petitions kept coming back to us. It was as if we are not working at all. That was why we shut the premises.”

He explained that some of the affected facilities had been served abatement notices before the eventual closure, adding that the growing rate of worship centres in the state calls for serious regulations, especially in the areas of noise pollution across the state.

“You cannot have makeshift structure and say you want to be conducting services or night vigil there. Definitely, you will be disturbing your neighbours. So, the government won’t allow the use of makeshift as a church or mosque,” he said.

He said nobody is allowed to make noise above 55 decibel during the day in the residential area and that only 45 decibel is allowed in such area at night.

He explained that in industrial areas 90 decibel of noise is allowed during the day while the noise rate must not exceed 80 decibel at night in such areas.