By Okuanwan Offiong
Lagos – Mr Bola Shabi, the General Manager, Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), on Tuesday said that the agency was set to generate adequate data to enhance effective environmental planning of the state.
Shabi told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the agency had started the assessment of the Ambient Air Quality Standards (AAQS) of the state using statistical and mathematical models.
NAN reports that AAQS are standards established by the United States Environmental Protection Agency under authority of the Clean Air Act (42)that apply for outdoor throughout the country.
He said the models were aimed at determining the state of air quality before the commencement of the vehicular emission test that would guide against air-pollution from vehicles.
According to the LASEPA chief, the assessment and data processes will assist the government in effective planning and implementation of the environment.
“The assessment will indicate how degraded the environment has been, so that the government can proffer mitigating measures to safeguard it.
“The Lagos state governor is concerned about the environment and transportation sectors, especially, on curbing the emission of pollution from vehicles.
“He wants a clean and healthy environment; so the agency is putting all efforts to ensure Lagos is kept safe,” he said.
Shabi said the assessment would involve the agency visiting all the markets where electronics are sold such as the Alaba International Market and the Computer Village to determine its environmental impact on water and soil.
“We are going to take samples from the markets to determine the extent the e-waste had damaged the soil and water in such areas.’’
The LASEPA boss disclosed that to further protect the environment, it had mandated all petroleum stations to have monitoring wells so as to determine any form of leakage in the underground storage facilities.
“We are going to ensure that all the petrol stations in Lagos have monitoring wells to detect any leakage or spillage of oil into the underground water.
“All these are a follow-up to the harmonised environmental law signed by the state governor to upgrade the obsolete sanitation and pollution law,’’ he said.