LASEPA partners companies to control industrial pollution

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No fewer than 345 industries in Lagos State have joined the fight against environmental pollution. The companies, 207 manufacturing and 138 facilities have begun to enhance their production facilities to mitigate environmental degradation in the state.

These facts were disclosed by the General Manager and Chief Executive Officer, CEO of the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency, LASEPA, Mr. Adebola Shabi, an engineer, at the 2015 Society for Environmental Toxicology and Pollution Mitigation Fellows Conferment and International Conference.

Shabi who was conferred with the Fellowship of the Society described LASEPA as the police of the environment. “We have been managing the pollution load of the state in the last five years. Compared to today, the level of pollution has drastically reduced. I will prove it to you.

When you talk of air pollution, over 207 manufacturing industries in Lagos have changed from diesel to gas engine generators because with gas it is cheaper, cleaner and healthier. As for facilities, 138 in this state have put in place Effluent Treatment Plant, ETP. In the past, they were discharging waste water from their facilities into the environment which affects the ecosystem. We have been able to mitigate that with the ETP,” he explained.

Continuing, he said, “The agency is currently on the issue of noise pollution. In the last three to four months we have been shutting down club houses and religious houses due to noise pollution. We have seen compliance due to that. Also on the issue of spent oil, when generators and cars are serviced, the spent oil should not be dropped on the ground or poured into the gutter because it would end up affecting the water and life forms under the ground. Instead, they should be containerised and the agency will pick it up to be recycled. We are bringing in a lot of investors into this state to come into recycling so that the waste generated will be equitably managed”.

The LASEPA boss who spoke on Waste is wealth, regretted that “it is only in this country that all our waste gets to the dump site. In developed countries, virtually 90 percent of their waste is recycled to generate wealth. Fortunately, we in Nigeria are getting to that. Most of our waste would be recycled to create employment for youths and generate more wealth for the government.

Source: Vanguard