A community at the back of Zuma Rock, an area of about 13 kilometers to Zuba, Abuja, is feeling the effects of unbridled mining activities. Frequent rock blasting is hurting residents of the community, especially children.
Chachi community is located at the back of Zuma Rock in Abuja. It plays host to two Chinese firms, Huatai Construction Limited and Lian Hua Quarry Limited.
Patricia John is the head of Joe School in the community, which is just before the quarry, at the back of Zuma Rock. She told Dataphyte that running a school in the area had been a difficult project. “When they blast rocks, the whole school shakes and everyone is scared,” she said.
The blasting often has a negative effect on the school building. However, it is having a devastating impact on school children, who are already beginning to have hearing difficulties.
“When the blasting takes place, you hear the children scream because of the effects it usually has on their ears. They usually complain to me of pain in their ears, and also the fear they have to go through can be devastating.”
She further noted that the children were often forced to leave the classrooms to escape the noise from the blasting.
Ms John, who is also the principal, noted that the school was yet to take a major step because the management was helpless.
She told Dataphyte that the school had been at that location well before the quarry companies commenced operations.
Ms John noted that she usually suffered from trauma even when blasting was not taking place. This, according to her, was down to the impact of repeated blasts in the area.
“I usually just shake without reasons, and that’s due to the impact of the blasting I have been exposed to,” she noted.
The situation is similar for the children of Gloria John, who lives in the same community. Gloria said any time the blasting took place, her children were usually disturbed.
“My children are usually scared, and they always want to cover their ears when they hear the blasting. I am afraid that this could be having an effect on their hearing ability due to the way they usually behave any time there is blasting. I am yet to test them at a hospital to ascertain whether this is developing into hearing defects,” she told Dataphyte.
She noted that the dust from the quarry had led to different ailments such as cough and catarrh among her children.
In other parts of Abuja, the situation is the same
During visits to various mining sites, it was clear that noise pollution and children’s exposure to danger were common. Many children were having different kinds of health issues attributed to blasts, and their parents were expressing their frustrations.
The situation is also the same in Ogun as Dataphyte’s Investigation shows that mining activities have left children at the risk of hearing impairments in some mining communities. Residents of Orile Ogunmakin who spoke with Dataphyte noted that their children were complaining of ear pains and reacting to even vibrations due to the activities of RCC in Orire Ogunmakin.
Lian Hua Quarry Limited said it would not comment on the issue.
READ ALSO: RCC’s Flying Rocks still torment residents of Orile Ogunmakin community in Ogun State
What research says about loud sounds
The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, a United States of America-based public health organisation, notes that continued noise pollution can overwork hair cells in the ear, which can cause these cells to die.
The hearing losses continue as long as the hearing progresses. The research also says that the damage may continue even after the sound stops.
Similarly, the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders says that loud noise may lead to gradual loss of hearing over time. The Institute states that because the loss is gradual, it may not be noticed, or signs of hearing loss may be ignored until they become more pronounced.
In 2020, it was reported that at least 8.5 million Nigerians had hearing impairments. The President of the Speech Pathologists and Audiologists Association in Nigeria (SPAAN), Mr Julius Ademokoya, identified noise pollution as one of the causal factors.
The International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology puts the number of Nigerian children suffering from hearing impairments and aged between 0-15 years at 3.5 million.
What does the law say?
The National Environmental Quarry and Blasting Operations Regulations (2013) notes that mining activities must ensure environmental and public safety.
Part 2, number 12, of the law states that dust and particulate matter emitted from all operations in the quarry shall be abated and suppressed using the best available technologies.
The law Is, however, silent on the exact mechanism that may be used to achieve the suppression of dust and particles.
No. 13 of the law reads that noise pollution from all quarry operations shall not exceed the acceptable limit of 114dB set out in the National Environmental Noise Standards and Control Regulations.
The law also emphasises that mining companies’ activities should not affect houses within 1000 meters of their operations.
We are aware, says NESREA
When contacted, the National Environmental Standards and Enforcement Agency (NESREA) told Dataphyte that it was aware of the situation.
In an email response signed by Director of Environmental Quality Control Department, Dr Jacob Ayuba, the agency said it had sanctioned several erring companies.
“NESREA is quite aware of some Chinese companies that are into mining through our routine compliance monitoring and we have sanctioned some of these companies. We have also received letters of complaints on some of the mining and quarry facilities and the sites were visited for necessary compliance.”
On what the agency was doing to curb the situation, the agency said, “All the relevant laws and regulations in these sectors have various penalties and sanctions, and where any facility is found to be operating contrary to the relevant laws and regulations, they are sanctioned accordingly.”
The agency vowed to ensure that all mining companies followed laid-down procedures and the law.
“NESREA collaborates with all relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to ensure better mining practices in Nigeria, FCT inclusive.
“Note that most mining activities in Nigeria are carried out by unskilled artisanal. As part of the Agency’s mandate, we carry out sensitization and awareness campaigns to the miners on environmental best practices in Nigeria.
“NESREA Zonal/ State Field Offices also ensure all facilities comply with extant laws and regulations.”