LAMATA, LASEPA set to tackle vehicle emission in Lagos

The Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) and Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency(LASEPA) have initiated moves to mitigate the various environmental threats, including climate change and its resultant health hazards with a draft legislation on ambient and quality control, especially vehicular emissions.Managing Director of LAMATA, Dr Dayo Mobereola who disclosed this at a stakeholder meeting on the review of draft legislation, said that 'our Authority, in collaboration with LASEPA, is rising up to the challenge of combating the issue through standards setting, control and regulatory initiatives.''All over the world, it has been established that the transport sector is emerging as the fastest growing source of global Green House Gas (GHG) emissions. While efforts are being intensified globally towards addressing this major challenge, our state has the responsibility to take strategic steps in evaluating its own contribution to GHG emissions and implement effective mitigation and adaptation options in combating the growing scourge across the state,' Dr Mobereola stated.He identified urban transport and industrial sectors as major sources of air and noise pollution, noting that there had been lack of accurate data in the recent past to quantify the amount of pollution load from such sources, until LAMATA conducted series of studies to arrive at the present level attained in the sector.According to the recently conducted Lagos Air Quality Monitoring Study (2007-2009), vehicles contribute approximately 43 per cent of ambient air pollution in Lagos. It was equally discovered that the major air pollutant in the cities came from combustion of fossil fuels in all motorized vehicles.Unfortunately, he said, the adverse effects of air pollution often fall disproportionately on the urban poor, with attendant health risks and hazards compounding the impact of other environmental problems such as lack of clean water and sanitation.He said the damaging effect of air pollution on human health may include increases in the incidence of chronic heart and lung disease or even premature death.Dr Mobereola, therefore, called for a concerted effort to sensitise stakeholders on awareness, knowledge and understanding of climate change issues; develop strategies for implementing sustainable urban transport through a transformation process geared towards greater inclusion of sustainability parameters such as safety, cleanliness and reliability, thereby removing barriers to emissions reduction within the transport sector.
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