The Lagos State government says it has come up with measures to tackle public health risks arising from increased emissions.
Rapid urbanization, industrialization, and population growth in the state have led to increased emissions from vehicles, generators, and industrial activities.
This has resulted in poor air quality that poses significant health risks to the citizens.
Babatunde Ajayi, General Manager, Lagos Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), who stated this, noted that air pollution is one of the most pressing environmental challenges facing the state, urging all to work together with the government for improvement.
.The GM disclosed that, in order to address these challenges, the state government has continued to implement various reform policies geared towards achieving a pollution-free and sustainable environment.
In the area of regulation, the state has established emission standards for vehicles and industries and this has been made possible through the agency’s collaboration with the state’s Ministry of Transportation, Vehicle Inspection service (VIS) and other regulatory agencies in the Transportation Sector
The LASEPA as an agency also carries out monitoring and enforcement through which it monitors air quality and enforces compliance with regulations, especially among industrial facilities. This is to ensure that they all abide by the standard procedures
Public education is also another measure for achieving pollution-free environment. The agency educates the public on the importance of air quality management. It organizes annual effluent treatment and air abatement workshop for all industrial facilities in the state to teach them the operational procedures of their effluent treatment plants and air abatement treatment plant operations.
“We work with stakeholders, including government agencies like the Nigeria Environmental Standard and Regulations Monitoring Association, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) industries, and civil society,” Ajayi said..
“LASEPA also carries out a lot of advocacy programmes to promote cleaner energy, sustainable transportation, and green infrastructure,” he added.
Ajayi was a guest speaker at the annual lecture and awards conference organised by the Property and Environment Writers Association of Nigeria (PEWAN) in Lagos recently with the theme, ‘The Place of Waste Management in Lagos in Relation to the State’s THEMES+ Agenda
He pointed out that of the six pillars of the THEMES Agenda which represents the 6-point Development Agenda of the Governor Babajide Sanwo -Olu administration, Pillars 2&3— Health and the Environment—occupy significant places.
He quoted the World Health Organization (WHO) as saying that air pollution is responsible for millions of premature deaths worldwide each year which is why, according to him, the state is committed and prepared for a lot of policy reforms to improve on the environment, fight pollution and maintain sustainable environment and quality public health.
He listed some of the challenges the state faces in managing air quality, saying that the challenges are multifaceted. These include vehicular emissions arising from the fact that Lagos has one of the highest number of vehicles in Africa, contributing significantly to air pollution.
Generator usage also emits pollution and it is used extensively because the unreliable power supply in Nigeria makes it necessary for citizens to use generators that emit harmful pollutants.
“Our industrial sector contributes to air pollution through emissions from factories and other industrial processes. Most of our industries do not have effluent and air treatment plants and few that have are either malfunctioning or no skilled workers to operate them,” Ajayi said.
A large number of industrial organisations in the state discharge their raw effluent into the environment or the water bodies, while they litter the environment with smoke from various manufacturing activities.
