-Says religious houses are biggest polluters
By Nneka Nwogwugwu
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The Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) has identified measures to address noise pollution from religious organisations.
The General Manager, LASEPA, Dr Dolapo Fasawe, who spoke in an interview with the Punch stated that in the last one year, the major focus of LASEPA has been to carry out a lot of advocacy, sensitisation, communication and interaction concerning noise pollution.
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He said, ‘’We started with noise pollution and it was amazing to see that many people did not understand that noise pollution is dangerous and injurious to their health.
‘’We have seen people go deaf, have high blood pressure, insomnia and other diseases from noise pollution and we started telling people about these. We started getting reports that all of a sudden, they became too much for LASEPA to deal with.
‘’We had to create more zones because we were going to propagate a noise-free Lagos. We did a lot of advocacy and also asked people to report pollutants.
‘’In one year, we had over 4,700 complaints across Lagos State. We originally had five zones in Alimosho, Agege, Ojo, Oshodi-Isolo and Lekki, but we created more. Noise pollution was the original idea.
Fasawe noted that 80 per cent of the complainants were satisfied with the outcomes of LASEPA intervention.
He said that a lot of polluters and their properties were closed down.
Speaking on how they have addressed noise pollution from churches and mosques, he said, ‘’Of the 4,700 complaints we received last year, 50 per cent were from neighbours of religious houses. Another 20 per cent was due to religious activities in places that were not religious houses, making it 70 per cent.
‘’This is because we have people turning uncompleted buildings into churches; we have people putting canopies outside and conducting vigils with microphones. Yes, as a state, we encourage prayers. But God is not a God of indiscipline. Religion is part of our life, it is a fundamental right.
‘’However, you do not have a right to disturb your neighbour when worshipping. The two main religions in Nigeria also preach against this. Any activity or communication that you have with God that disturbs your neighbour and affects his health and wellbeing is not acceptable. These are the tenets of the religions we practice.
‘’We have had meetings with the religious leaders across the board. But I must say that I am happy specifically with NASFAT. We had a meeting with the religious heads and a couple of weeks later, I saw a letter that NASFAT sent out to all its mosques in Lagos State with the instruction: no microphone outside. I have a copy of that letter. It really impressed me a lot. And there was compliance.’’
He disclosed that 640 religious houses were sealed as a result of noise pollution.
‘’We sealed 640 religious houses over infractions. I am also happy that a large percentage of them have complied. Some have gone ahead to sound-proof, and some have moved to permanent structures in appropriate areas.’’
