Noise pollution, often perceived as innocuous, does have profound effects on health, property values, well being, and social harmony. In Nigeria, rapid urbanization, erratic electricity supply, and explosive growth in mixed-use behaviours have amplified noise levels in residential neighbourhoods. The consequence of the pollution is often intractable and unpronounced while being inimical to the health and lives of the people.
The primary challenge in this regard is actually perceiving when there is noise in the environment. Somehow, due to the socio-cultural milieu in which Nigerians grow, they hardly perceive anything wrong with noise generally, nor even specifically. As far as most Nigerians are concerned, noise pollution is normal.
A study I conducted while serving as the Commissioner in charge of the Environment in Lagos State showed that over 85 % of Nigerians do not know what decibel, a barometer for measuring the level of noise, is, much less knowing the permissible decibels in different zones of the society. Nigerians have become so acculturated to noise that nothing condemnable is seen in it.
The truth remains, however, that there is noise pollution all over the country.
The sources of the noise pollution in Nigeria will seem endless and range from noise generated by electric generators widely used due to unreliable grid power, producing continuous high-decibel; to noise derivable from traffic as it relates to motor vehicles and cycles, aircrafts and other mechanical equipment used in the construction industry.
It is no news that majority of mechanical equipment, including vehicles used in Nigeria, are aged and inefficient, thus breeding heavy noise pollution. In addition, due to incessant traffic congestion in the cities, the pressure of horns or hooting, particularly along busy roads and traffic generating areas, is inevitable.
As opined above, the construction industry largely contributes its own quota to noise pollution in the country. Building sites are usually populated with outdated machines and industrial compressors that are the only ones affordable to developers and the operators of the industries.
The commonest and often really seemingly innocuous source of noise pollution is from the activities of the religious homes such as mosques and churches, and that from social events such as parties, campaigns and other promotional activities.
The last but not the least source of noise pollution is from house appliances such as blenders, coolers, washing machines and musical equipment of homes and neighbors.
Generally speaking, the highest decibel for residential buildings as set the World Health Organization is 55dB (A). In some studies, done recently, in a place like Ibadan and Ile-Ife, the noise levels range from 65-67dB while in commercial areas, it ranges up to 80dB(A). At a point in Awka, Noise level peaked at 89.8dB (A) in a student’s hostel. A study focusing on residential neighborhoods in the Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State found startling results. While the mean traffic noise levels reached 71.7 dB(A) most times, well above the WHO’s recommended 55 dB(A) for daytime in residential zones, residents of the area, from the study, frequently report headaches, speech interference, distraction, and lack of concentration due to this excessive noisearXiv+15Academia+15HumAngle+15.
Across the country, noise levels across industrial, commercial, and residential zones were consistently above WHO recommendations. Due to failure of urban planning and zoning of areas, it has not been easy to set the decibel level for each area.
Even where there is attempt at such zoning, adherence to the plan has been a colossal failure. Interestingly, those responsible for urban planning do not even care about the noise levels. They simply ignore this aspect in planning. With all sense of humility, enforcement of the laws against noise pollution were equally dormant until I became the Commissioner in charge of the Environment in Lagos State.
The truth is that notwithstanding regulations, enforcement remains weak.
Noise complaints are rarely filed, partly due to lack of awareness on reporting channels. Again, except in some few instances that other punitive provisions of the environmental laws are utilized, the penalties for violation of noise level are uninspiring.
For example, under the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) instrument, violators face fines or imprisonment (e.g., up to N50,000 and/or one year in jail, except for corporate bodies that earn higher sanctions.
The alternative remedy to victims, which lies in the institution of civil claims, is equally unappealing due to burdensomeness and prohibitive cost of having recourse to litigation. Under the law of tort, residents may sue for nuisance, obtain injunction or compensation for persistent offensive noise.
As opined above, the stress of achieving it makes it unattractive where even the residents are desirous of adopting the alternative. I am glad that the current Commissioner in Lagos State is sustaining the effort of my time.
Beyond the nuisance value of noise pollution in our environment, it is medically impairing the health of Nigerians. There are several adverse health effects of noise pollution and they range from hearing loss, stress, sleep disorders, cardiovascular strain, gastrointestinal issues and developmental disruptions in children.
During my tenure as the Commissioner in charge of the Environment, I equally triggered a study on noise pollution as it affects school pupils wherein it was discovered that over 70% of pupils have one hearing impairment or the other.
You can imagine the impact of this on the education of the children. To what extent can we blame the pupils if they keep failing in their examinations as they barely hear most of the knowledge the teachers are striving to pass across.
Even, in terms of economics, noise pollution devalues affected properties.
Most importantly to me in this intervention is what obtains in the religious houses and social events centers.
Beyond the nuisance caused by the activities of the religious homes in terms of noise pollution, my concern is the degree of health infliction they do to their members. I have observed that in virtually all of them, noise pollution has become a virtue. They regale in it. What however is unknown to them is that by so doing, they injure their members, and regrettably also, the members are ignorant of the injuries they suffer due to their attendance and presence at these events.
The least ailment they suffer from is hearing impairment. The hear drums of most of the members are progressively eroded, leading, in some instances, ultimately to deafness. The innocent children are the ones that I pity most as they prematurely suffer this impairment from their tender age.
Thus, above enforcing and abating the external noise pollution, it has become imperative that the relevant regulatory agencies start regulating the internal noise levels of the religious homes and the social events centers. It is not sufficient that the centers are sound-proofed, moderate and acceptable noise level must be enforced internally.
By way of illustration, in south-western Nigeria (covering Lagos), over half of noise impacts from religious activities stem from night worships, use of public address systems, and expansions into residential zones. These contribute to widespread discomfort and disrupt urban tranquility. A 2014 study on Lagos noted that the exponential rise of Pentecostal and other congregational worship centers often housed in residential areas results in heavy reliance on loudspeakers and late-night gatherings.
These noise sources significantly affect neighbors’ health and well-being . A more recent account cites that among 1,616 noise complaints received by the Lagos State government over the past year, 63% were directed at religious organizations, surpassing entertainment venues and residential homes.
In response, the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) has ramped up its enforcement efforts issuing new noise-reduction guidelines and clamping down on churches, mosques, event centers, and lounges as part of the Noiseless Lagos campaign.
In addition, I see many of our youth, particularly the fun lovers and seekers spending hours at night clubs under this medically unconducive atmosphere without knowing the damage impacted on their health.
The ultimate consequence lies on the government that ends up producing large population of deaf people whose productivity declines. Even at social events, particularly parties, not until our hearing drums are battered, the musicians do not think they are entertaining us. Even most of us dance to the sorrow unknowingly.
Thus, I sympathize with some of them, and for which I had once been a victim, that are seated proximate to the speakers. The irony of it is that in most functions, those who are located there are presumably the very important personalities. For them, they enjoy the social status of being seated in those places, again oblivious of the damage being done to their hear drums.
Conscious ones promptly relocate themselves elsewhere. Thus, open-air parties and neighborhood gatherings contribute heavily to noise disturbances. Loud music, especially from outside setups or vehicles, is a frequent complaint. In fact, over 50% of patients at an Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) clinics reported hearing issues tied directly to noise exposure.
In addition to this torture, attendees at such functions would now have to shout on top of their voices to have any meaningful conversation, thereby injuring their throats amongst others. Must a person go to serve God, or felicitate with others and return with ailments? This is the insanity I observe in our attitudes to noise pollution, largely out of ignorance. The time is therefore ripe, just as we are just gradually paying attention to mental health, that we start addressing this concern.
Religious and social noise sources cannot be relegated as they meaningfully affect public health, sleep quality, and overall peace in residential areas. What must we do in the circumstances? The fundamental solution is to first aggressively embark on planning and zoning of our land use.
This enables the Government to separate residential zones from commercial, industrial, and worship centers. In addition, the use of natural or built buffers like green belts, walls, or setback distances could be helpful.
It has been suggested that Architects can equally use quiet facades and spatial design to stave off noise. There must also be structural measures to compel noise generation centers to incorporate acoustic panels, double-glazed windows, and insulation to dampen outdoor noise.
I also believe strongly that enlightenment of the populace is crucial at this stage as they need to know what amounts to noise pollution, and its regulation; the acceptable standards, the health impacts, legal rights, and civic responsibility. As said, ignorance is largely responsible for the ongoing scourge both on the part of the generators of the noise and the victims.
Residents must therefore be encouraged to limit loudspeaker use, enforce silence during designated rest hours, and minimize high-volume social gatherings. Despite existing standards (55 dB daytime and 45 dB at night for residential zones), many residents remain unaware of these regulations. Parties and social events often proceed without the required permits or soundproof infrastructure.
We therefore need aggressive orientation on this.
With regard to the impact of the power generating sets, while the claim for improved power supply cannot be validated, the progressive adoption of renewable energy can stem the tide of the noise generated by generating sets.
The good news is that more Nigerians are embracing the use of solar energy already. The regulators need to deploy edge sensors to capture real-time noise data (type, location, duration), enabling targeted interventions and better enforcement. Furthermore, the reporting mechanism must be simplified with access to regulators improved. The integrity of the process of the reporting and enforcement must be guaranteed.
The use of mobile apps or hotlines can facilitate noise reporting process, coupled with other modes.
Lastly, the enforcement agencies must be strengthened while the sanctions made to be stiff. From the x-ray above, it is obvious that noise pollution in Nigerian residential areas is both a pressing public health concern and a social equity issue.
Its multifaceted causes range from generators to zoning failures. Consequently, the required solution is equally diverse and demand coordinated responses.
Thus, the urban planners need to be proactive in designing quieter cities through zoning and architectural measures while the policy makers and regulators, as canvassed above, must leverage noise monitoring systems to improve urban landscapes. Lastly, the communities must foster noise-conscious norms and engage in participatory monitoring.
By therefore combining regulations, design solutions, technological innovations, and civic engagement, Nigeria can significantly curb noise pollution and, in doing so, safeguard health, property values and quality of life in residential neighborhoods.
