When it comes to pollution, it’s something that is becoming increasingly unavoidable. No matter where you stay and how affluent the area is, there would be one thing that causes discomfort that you know very well shouldn’t be there to begin with. Yet, there is usually little we can do. If you try to stop it, there will be another hundred people who will steadily be thwarting your plans.
That’s why pollution can be so frustrating because in reality, the solution is simple and the prevention is even simpler. Yet, people choose not to be bothered. They simply do what they want, regardless of how it affects their neighbors. And as long as they can sleep fine with their decisions, the rest of the world can burn in hell.
Back when I was in school, one major pollution issue that Owerri suffered was dirt. There is just no good system for a proper disposal of waste, people simply throw their dirt into open fields. As more people throw it there, it soon becomes a giant heap of dirt that smells and reeks up the entire place. That’s how bad it is.
Funny enough though, the people who own these lands where they dump their refuse like it this way. They use it as a form of protection for their land. They choose not to fence their land, and the dirt would also serve to deter anyone from setting up shops in their land, or any other form of encroachers. So, the owners would rather allow people to dump refuse on their land than fence it and mark their territory.
This was one thing I had to suffer a lot back when I was in school, but since I came to Lagos, I didn’t suffer that anymore. In this area, trash is disposed of more cleanly. The waste disposal company comes once a month and packs it all. When they come with their truck, everyone brings out their trash, they pack it all, and go. As a result, the streets are somewhat clean and all that.
However, that doesn’t mean that there is no pollution here. Because the one I wasn’t suffering from back in Owerri, is what I’m currently suffering. And that’s noise! Noise comes from everyone! Noise from generators, noise from rowdy children, and even the worst; noise from churches!
Monday morning, by eight o’clock sharp, when my brain is very active and I’m about to start working for the day, that’s when churches in my neighborhood begin their fellowship. There are about two or three of them here. Each church has no more than eight members each, yet, they have big gigantic speakers as if they’re ministering to an entire stadium.
So early in the morning, they sing, they preach and it’s always so noisy. Like, when everyone else is looking to start the week and make some money, these guys are disturbing the peace! There is also a school here, and the speakers disturb them a lot as well. I heard that the residents of the street have been trying to put an end to it, but so far, nothing has come forth yet.
That isn’t the end though, in the evening, they would also have programs. And if they don’t, the children in my compound won’t let us rest. Playing all around while screaming at the top of their voices like a pack of crazy chihuahuas. And then, when it was night, the generators came on. However, I don’t see this as noise pollution because most generators here are not too noisy, and they’re something that I’ve gotten comfortable with. Besides, they’re a necessity when we have leaders who refuse to give us steady power.
So, you see how bad it is? It got to a point where I had to stop working in the morning because the noise was always intrusive and cutting off my flow. But this meant me having to work later into the night, a trend I thought I was done with. However, it’s all good. The main problem for now is the churches that hold their programs on weekday mornings, I know that as long as the residents here are looking to put an end to it, then it’s only a matter of time before it actually happens. And I’m looking forward to it.
I’ve missed having some peace and quiet.
Posted Using INLEO
