Pollution: Agency decries increasing use of generators

The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) says the increasing use of power generators across the country is a time bomb on the environment.

Mr Daniel Wuave, the Coordinator of NESREA in Gombe State made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gombe on Wednesday.

Wuave noted that the increase in the use of generators, which residents blamed on the inability of power distribution companies to provide regular electricity, was one of the major sources of air pollution in Gombe.

According to him, the use of generators does not only pollute the atmosphere but also is a source of noise pollution in most parts of the country.

He said efforts were ongoing to ensure that such a situation was not allowed to continue in view of its hazard on human and the environment adding that the agency was carrying out sensitisation in that regard.

“The increasing use of generators in Gombe is becoming a serious environmental threat. This is a time bomb on the environment and the quality of air available to both human and the environment.

“Due to poor power supply, many have resorted to generator use as back up. This is a trend that may have dire consequences on the environment sooner than we expect, if nothing is done to reverse such trend.

“Since we don’t live in isolation, the increasing use of generators is contributing to global warming no matter how insignificantly it is viewed. We must fashion out ways to discourage the use of generators.

“In most neighbourhoods, the sound of generators at night is something else. This is also having adverse effects on the eardrums of people and also disturbs the brain after a long day job.

“This is becoming unbearable and the agency is working to addressing such environmental issues which threaten the quality of available air and causes serious noise pollution as well,’’ he said.

Wuave appealed to residents and other stakeholders to invest in alternative power sources, adding that solar energy was a good alternative that is environmentally friendly.

He also appealed to residents of Gombe to plant more trees in residential areas to absorb the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere through generator-use.

NAN reports that the Federal Government on Dec. 26, 2018 began the implementation of the National Generator Emission Control Programme to address pollution from generator sources.

According to the Centre for Management Development, about 60 million Nigerians invested about N1.6 trillion to purchase and maintain standby generators annually.

A survey by the NAN in Gombe indicated that most residents of Federal Low-Cost, Government Reserved Area (GRA), Tumfure and Yelengurunza Quarters rely on generators as a power back up.