By FABIAN EKERUCHE

As Lagos continues to battle environmental challenges associated with its rapid urbanisation, residents across the state have raised concerns over its worsening air quality, largely attributed to indiscriminate waste burning, vehicular emissions, and poor sanitation practices.

They disclosed this in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Lagos.

NAN reports that from Ikorodu to Sasha, Oshodi to Alagbado, among others, fumes from refuse fires, exhaust pipes and industrial discharges, hang in the air, posing serious threats to public health and the environment.

Mrs. Itunu Dada, a civil servant and resident of Ikorodu, told NAN that air pollution in her community is largely caused by refuse burning.

?Instead of patronising the PSP operators, many residents prefer to burn their waste.

?When you go outside, you see fumes of smoke from effluents. This causes cough and chest irritation. Around the markets, refuse dumped on the road median emits offensive odours. It?s appalling,? she said.

Dada called on the Lagos State Government to shut down markets with poor sanitation and strengthen its waste evacuation efforts.

?Those evacuating waste from the drainage leave them for weeks before removing them. When it rains, the waste washes back into the drains. This is not good.

?There should be a task force to monitor illegal dumping and burning of refuse within the metropolis,? she said.

In Sasha, a suburb in the Alimosho Local Government Area, Mrs. Stella Lawrence, a teacher, said air pollution has become an everyday reality for residents.

?The huge population of Lagos contributes to it. Many commercial vehicles are not roadworthy and emit thick fumes.

?Generator use also adds to the problem. The government should ban unfit vehicles and ensure the PSPs remove refuse regularly to discourage waste burning. Providing regular electricity supply will also help to reduce generator fumes,? she added.

Similarly, Miss Chioma Ndukwe, a communications expert and resident of Okota, said air pollution has become severe in densely populated areas such as Oshodi.

?When you walk through Oshodi Market, you can hardly breathe; emissions from industries, waste burning, traffic fumes and poor sanitation combine to create a choking environment,? she said.

Ndukwe urged the government to provide public toilets, conduct regular vehicle emission checks and regulate industrial discharges.

?We need to take air pollution seriously. Everyone deserves to breathe clean air in Lagos,? Ndukwe said.

In Lekki, Mr. Bruno Ajede, a businessman, acknowledged that while the area is relatively clean, pollution persists in crowded parts such as markets and Ajah.

?Car fumes are the main problem. Air pollution affects human health and can cause respiratory issues like asthma,? Ajede said.

Also, Mr. Ajibola Ajayi, a marketer and resident of Alagbado, said the community suffers from huge vehicular pollution.

?Many vehicles here emit heavy smoke because there?s little or no regulation,? Ajayi said.

Reacting to the development, Mr. Friday Oku, President, Association of Wastepickers of Lagos, said Nigeria?s continued dependence on fossil fuel is worsening both environmental and health hazards.

?There?s a lot of danger associated with fossil fuel use. It?s causing serious harm to the environment and to human health.

?That?s why we are working to promote renewable energy and find ways to mitigate air pollution in our society,? Oku said.

He, however, criticised what he described as inconsistent government policies that undermine emission reduction efforts, citing the recent ban on waste pickers using carts, known locally as ?cart pushers,? as an example.

?When we are trying to cut emissions from fossil fuels, the government suddenly bans cart pushers without providing any sustainable alternative.

?How do you ban them and replace them with tricycles that cause even more pollution? It shows a lack of policy direction,? he said.

Oku added that while private and civil society groups are striving to reduce emissions through renewable energy and cleaner alternatives such as Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), government actions often contradict climate commitments.

?For us, we are against fossil fuel emissions from vehicles and markets. We must shift towards renewable energy and CNG. That?s the only way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,? he emphasised.

He also stressed the need for behavioural change among Nigerians.

NAN reports that health experts opine that prolonged exposure to polluted air increases the risk of respiratory infections, heart disease and lung cancer.

However, the Lagos State Government, through the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, has reiterated its commitment to tackling air pollution through its Blue and Green Economy Initiative and Air Quality Monitoring Network.

The state has also deployed mobile sensors in strategic locations to measure pollution levels and enforce compliance among industries and transport operators.

NAN reports that residents and environmental advocates argue that until citizens stop burning waste and the government enforces environmental laws effectively, Lagos? quest for clean air may remain elusive. (NAN)

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