PROPERTY NEWS

LAGOS government officials last week sealed-off two industrial companies, one petrol filling station and two churches for various environmental offences, under a new drive to enforce waste and noise pollution regulations in the city.

The firms, Afrilec Limited Company in Ogba and Investment Holding Company in Marina, Lagos and Mobil Filling Station at Okota Road, Isolo, Lagos over contamination of underground water on Okota Road, Dele Ashiru Street and its environs with petroleum products.

Similarly, the two affected churches; Jesus Warrior Fellowship and the Mountain Of Fire And Miracles, located at 22 Ojekunle Street, Mushin area of Lagos were sealed up for noise pollution and "other disturbances."

According to Mr. Adebola Shabi, general manager of the Lagos Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), the affected firms were reportedly causing noise and air pollution as well as obstructing officials of the Agency from carrying out their duties during inspection of their facility, while the affected churches were accused of causing disturbances in the course of observing their religious services.

Shabi said the action was prompted by letters of complaint received from neighbours who complained against the use of public address systems and of "noise emanating from their worship activities."

A LASEPA official, Mr. Kayode Bello, who led the agency's team on the enforcement task, said the firms were shut after several "Abatement Notices" issued to them were ignored.

He said the companies have been causing noise and chemical pollution with their power generating sets, which he said constituted environmental hazards.

Shabi explained that the two churches were closed because they failed to heed to the Agency's warnings and letters inviting them over for meetings.

In the same vein, the agency has continued its clamp down on illegal sand miners in some coaster areas, for violating environmental guidelines on sand mining.

The Agency said after a thorough investigation of illegal sand mining in the state, it had sent abatement notices to the operators but they failed to heed the agency's warnings.

The environmental offences range from degradation of the environment to non-compliance with the guidelines and regulations and non-registration with the agency. Others are disregard to abatement notices and lack of proper Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Reports.

Speaking with the media after the exercise, Director, Ecology and Conservation in the Agency, Mrs. Grace Yahaya said the Agency decided to clamp down on the sand operators because they had fallen short of the state's environmental standards. She explained that, many of the mining sites "have been turned to burrows," which are inimical to a safe environment, creating a dangerous landscape in the affected areas.

She, however, said the Agency might permit the operators to go back to work after the burrows created had been restored, though they (Sand Miners) would have to move to other sites and adhere strictly to the state's sand mining regulations on the new sites.

A total number of eleven "illegal sand miners" were arrested in the raid.