Tackling the scourge of noise pollution
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has revealed that noise is a dangerous agent that affects human health and the environment. This is why Ministries, Departments and Agencies of Government, through various policies and pronouncement, seek to check the effect of noise pollution in the metropolis to ensure a healthier populace, OKWY IROEGBU-CHIKEZIE reports
KAZEEM Kukoyi, a resident of Ijora Badia, a suburb of Lagos State, has battled with hypertension for several months. Upon diagnosis at a government hospital, his condition was said to have been triggered by the sleepless nights he has had to endure over a long period of time. Kukoyi blames this on the noise from different directions and sources in his environment, especially from blaring music boxes of stores close to his house.
“I have complained to the shops’ owners about the disturbing effect of their loud music on my health, several times, but nothing has changed. I just hope the government can implement its laws against noise pollution in the state, at least, for us to have peace and for the sake of our health,” Kukoyi said .
Indeed, from the loud music in churches, to the mosques, honking from vehicles on the road, airplanes flying above homes, construction machines in the neighbourhood, and industries in urban areas, noise pollution appears to have remained a hydra-headed problem that has defied solutions.
Noise is referred to as an undesirable sound that results from the activities of man – that is anthropogenic environmental degradation (human impact on the environment). It also remains a nuisance which impacts negatively on the physical, social and psychological wellbeing of man, aggravating chronic illnesses such as hypertension and cardiopulmonary diseases.
Unfortunately, increased activities from industrialisation and technological transfers and drifts have tumultuously led to increased noise pollution in most of the cities hence, the need for concerted efforts in monitoring and regulating environmental noise.
This was why the Lagos State Government read the riot act recently to operators of night clubs, bars, karaoke centres, churches and mosques. In a statement, the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tunji Bello, said the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) would sanction offenders. He added that LASEPA officials would be going round such centres and homes and anyone found to have exceeded the allowed level of sound output would be punished. He said the action became necessary because he had been inundated with complaints and petitions from many residents and associations across the state about the obnoxious noise around them.
He regretted that many of such leisure centres and religious homes, after being reopened by the government, usually returned to the same noise pollution for which they were axed. Bello added that this prompted the involvment of residents’ associations.
He advised the leisure centres to buy sound proof equipment which would reduce the decibel of sound that would go out when such leisure or religious homes are engaged in business.
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, noise that exceeds 80 decibels are detrimental to health. Any noise that dwarfs normal conversation between two persons is most probably above 60 decibels and, according to the agency, children are affected by noise above 60 decibels.
The agency said high-intensity sound waves cause unnecessary ripples in the ear canal, disturbing the fluid that aid communications between the ear and the brain. This disturbance destroys the tiny, very delicate, hair follicles that send signals to the brain when sounds enter the ear.
It stated further that being exposed to noise pollution for 10 years or more raises the chances of suffering from at one cardiovascular disease later in life by 300 per cent.
About a decade ago, scientists from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden found that high noise levels affect an individual’s pulse rates and cause constriction of blood vessels, thus making him or her vulnerable to heart attacks or high blood pressure. Being exposed to such noises for more than eight hours daily could be worse, they stated.
An Environmentalist, Chudu Ikole who commended the Lagos government on her efforts to control noise pollution said its control is very important in the workplace and in the community. Noise-control ordinances and laws enacted at the local, regional, and national levels can be effective in mitigating the adverse effects of noise pollution, he stated.
He called the attention of both the Federal and State Government to the increased pollution at the parks across the states and its implications. He reiterated the need to also check on leisure houses and markets where loud speakers are hung outside to either blast music or some messages.
He said: “If you have ever lived in a noisy neighbourhood, you know how irregular sleep can get on a noisy night. The danger of not sleeping well at night is that your day gets boring, you get tired early, and you are forced to forego most energy-draining activities.
Experts warn that noise is more than a mere nuisance. At certain levels and durations of exposure, it can cause physical damage to the eardrum and the sensitive hair cells of the inner ear and result in temporary or permanent hearing loss. In addition to causing hearing loss, excessive noise exposure can also raise blood pressure and pulse rates, cause irritability, anxiety, and mental fatigue, and interfere with sleep, recreation, and personal communication”.
Kunle Alabi, who runs a barbing saloon in Mafoluku, Oshodi said though he was earning income daily, the noise from airplanes was not palatable. He said sometimes he feels the airplane would land on his roof. He confessed that he does not sleep well as he is constantly conscious of that something may go wrong.
Fausat Kazeem, who resides in Olosa, Mushin said she has got used to the noise from the market, Okada riders and Danfo drivers who blare there horn as if there is no tomorrow. She, however, called on the government to implement a policy that will regulate noise as she believes it is affecting many Lagosians and possibly causing some internal health challenges that may lead to future stress.