By Mazhun Idris
In Africa's most populous country and largest economy, noise is the price millions of people pay for living in a rapidly expanding urban jungle. From industries to notoriously heavy traffic, cities like Lagos, Nigeria's most densely populated, are a cacophonous assault on the eardrums.
"We endure unbearable noise daily," rues Adebomeyin Oluwatosin, a resident of Lagos.
Many homes, business premises and offices across Nigeria operate mostly without electricity from the national grid, leaving them with no option but to use high-decibel power generators. The trade-off is a forced co-existence with noise.
Experts say excessive noise seriously harms human health, and in the least, interferes with productivity and societal well-being.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says any noise above 65 decibels (dB) constitutes noise pollution and ‘"becomes harmful when it exceeds 75 decibels (dB)". When the level reaches 120db, it becomes "painful" to the ear.
Dr Murtala Uba Mohammed, who has researched exposure, perception and the impact of noise pollution in Kano – one of Nigeria's more populous cities – warns that residents of the city are exposed to more than the "dosage threshold" of noise.
Impact on schools
Mohammed, a geography lecturer at Bayero University in Kano, tells TRT Afrika that many residences in the city fall under ‘"black acoustic zones", or areas with noise levels above limits based on WHO guidelines.
According to him, noise pollution could be partly responsible for the prevalence of multiple health conditions, including depression and heart illnesses.
His research revealed that the source of outdoor noise pollution is largely from transport, industrial machineries and construction sites. Commercial activities and population density are the other triggers, both of which he blames on lack of proper town planning and inadequate law enforcement.
Mohammed used sound level meters to record weeklong noise levels from December 2017 to February 2018 at 40 locations in the city. He also recorded traffic noise from 15 road corridors during three specific traffic peak periods – 8-10am, 12-2pm and 4-6pm.
Car honking is among the most disturbing forms of noise in Nigerian cities, Mohammed says of his findings.
Although schools were among the least polluted by external noise in Kano, the study discovered they were seriously impacted, too, and that consistent noise could disturb the learning and cognitive abilities of students.
The geography lecturer suggests that the Nigerian authorities "regulate school sites or create special districts for public and private schools" to address the impact of noise on learning institutions.
Ridwan Imam Salis, a Kano resident, tells TRT Afrika that he experiences "changes in my hearing ability" and sometimes gets a headache from the noisy surroundings in the Fagge neighbourhood, where he works.
Irony of 'illegal' noise
Salis says he didn’t realise the disturbance caused by constant noise in his environment until 2020, when a lockdown forced by the Covid-19 pandemic restricted public movement and other daily activities.
"The environment was much better and saner. But the rumbling noise returned after the lockdown was lifted," he says.
Noise pollution in Nigeria is illegal, with penalties ranging from a fine to imprisonment. The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency, or NESREA, is the body responsible for controlling noise in the country. Its guidelines define noise pollution as ‘"any unwanted and annoying sound that is intrinsically objectionable to human beings or which can have or is likely to have an adverse effect on human health or the environment".
The regulation states that any person who violates the law "shall be liable to pay a fine of N5,000 for every day the offence subsists and, on conviction, face a penalty not exceeding N50,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year or both".
If the offence is committed by a corporate body, ‘"it shall on conviction be liable to a fine not exceeding N500,000 and an additional fine of N10,000 for every day the offence subsists".
But the law – like many others - is rarely enforced in Nigeria, and victims of noise pollution hardly report violations to the authorities.
Disregard for rules and a lack of enforcement in Nigeria are not limited to noise pollution, although the authorities say they are doing their best in ensuring compliance.
Lagos resident Adebomeyin Oluwatosin says "many people don't report noise pollution just because they don't know where to report it".
Threat to hearing
Dr Hassan Mohammed Garba, a general medical practitioner in the northern city of Bauchi, says exposure to excessive noise could destroy hearing.
Hassan, the managing director of Pahlycon Hospital, tells TRT Afrika that once the eardrum is destroyed, other diseases like meningitis could set in because "there will be free communication of the atmosphere into the eardrum".
He says people with pre-existing ear illnesses are more vulnerable to such harms. Another medical expert, Dr Hidaya Danbatta, believes women and children are particularly vulnerable to the impact of noise pollution.
Danbatta, a gynaecologist at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital in Abuja, says, "Children must be prevented from attending noisy social gatherings to protect their developing hearing organs. Pregnant women should be aware of the high risk of excessive noise to their foetus."
Sound vibrations have the highest conduction inside liquids. As babies develop inside the amniotic fluid, harmful waves may reach them due to excessive noise coming from the mother's surroundings.
As a precaution, the doctor advises the use of air plugs and noise cancellation materials in buildings to reduce exposure.
She also cautions people against attending noisy social events with unregulated use of loudspeakers. She recommends regular medical check-ups to aid early diagnosis of hearing problems.
Researcher Mohammed advocates stricter legislation and higher levels of compliance and enforcement on land use and environmental practices to reduce noise.
According to him, proper land planning will help in stopping the trend of new housing layouts that have no proper noise control measures. He also calls for planting of more trees in cities because "trees have an attenuation effect on noise".
