Lagos to enforce ban on microphone, amplifiers in motor parks

To mitigate noise pollution, the Lagos State government has mandated its monitoring committee to enforce the ban on use of all forms of microphones and amplifiers in motor parks across the state, warning that defaulters will be prosecuted.

The Special Adviser on Transportation, Oluwatoyin Moses Fayinka disclosed this during a briefing organised by the State’s Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA).

He said the decision would help to curb the menace of noise pollution in motor parks/garages.

Fayinka lamented indiscriminate use of megaphones and speakers to attract passengers at Motor parks, adding that defaulting motor parks would be shut down.

The park’s monitoring committee has been mandated to monitor motor parks across the state for total compliance and enforce accordingly to restore sanity and right of other road users to a noiseless environment.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (OES), Dr. Tajudeen Omobolaji Gaji said noise pollution is an unwanted sound in excess of the permissible limits, which has become prevalent in Lagos environment; causing stress with severe health implications, while long-term exposure causes hearing loss that is detrimental to human health.

He said: “Noise pollution is the major leading public complaints received at the Agency, ranging from the transport sector, religious, commercial and entertainment industry, domestic animals, and power generating sets amongst others. Adults are believed to be the ones thought to show great concerns from problems associated with noise pollution, but children are quite vulnerable as well, more so, as there are no known visible symptoms at early age.”

According to him, noise pollution is the most prevalent of the complaints received yearly, accounting for 75 per cent of total complaints. He added that the complaints are mostly anthropogenic and not limited to transport, religious, commercial, industrial, entertainment and power generating devices.

He further said the outcome of the survey, conducted after the agency organised free hearing test for the road transport workers during the “2021 Noiseless Lagos’’ Campaign at Biode Motor Park Ojota, indicated a great percentage of hearing impairment, such as partial deafness amongst the tested and which was unknown to them. This calls for great concern and urgent intervention on the part of the State government, hence the ban on the use of speakers in garages and motor parks.

The General Manager of LASEPA, Dr. Dolapo Fasawe reiterated that motor parks are not allowed to use amplifiers or other noise-making devices to call passengers or advertise goods.