Lagos govt prohibits use of public amplifiers to curb noise pollution

By Bisola Adeyemo

As part of the effort to reduce noise pollution in Lagos State, the state government on Tuesday announced the total ban on the use of amplifiers in motor parks.

General Manager, Lagos State Environmental Protection, LASEPA, Dr. Dolapo Fasawe who announced the ban at a news conference in Alausa, Ikeja, said the ban is to curb noise pollution prevalence across motor parks in the state.

She said no motor park in Lagos from today is allowed to use amplifiers to call passengers.

Fasawe said the agency is placing the ban in collaboration with the Ministry of Transportation, stressing that after today any motor park found using amplifiers would be sanctioned.

“What we want to announce and reiterate is that no motor park in Lagos from today, is allowed to use amplifiers to call passengers for music or to propagate beliefs. It is a violation of the environmental protection laws of the state”, she said.

Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, Oluwatoyin Fayinka who reiterated the ban said that any motor park that violated the order not to use amplifiers to call passengers would be shut.

“Before today, noise pollution in our parks had reduced drastically. No motor park should use any form of object that could generate noise; it is not allowed in motor parks.

“I challenge churches, mosques and others that do parties to reduce noise pollution. By this declaration, I am empowering the park monitoring committee to go to parks in Lagos and stop them from using amplifiers,” Fayinka said.

Noise pollution, also known as environmental noise or sound pollution, is the propagation of noise with ranging impacts on the activity of human or animal life, most of them harmful to a degree. The source of outdoor noise worldwide is mainly caused by machines, transport, and propagation systems.

Noise pollution impacts millions of people on a daily basis. The most common health problem it causes is Noise-Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL). Exposure to loud noise can also cause high blood pressure, heart disease, sleep disturbances, and stress. These health problems can affect all age groups, especially children.