Spatial and statistical analysis of environmental noise levels in the main campus of the University of Lagos

الملخص EN

The increasing student population, developmental, and commercial activities within the university of lagos's main campus have led to an increase in daily noise levels.

these have disrupted the serenity and tranquillity of the campus environment.

in this study, the noise levels within the campus were assessed at 34 locations to determine compliance with international standards for tolerable noise levels in different environments.

for three days, noise levels at the stations were measured using the extech 407730 sound level meter.

in the analysis, noise level maps were produced using the inverse distance weighted (IDW) interpolation, and the correlation between observed noise levels and noise limits were determined.

the noise levels measured in the study area ranged from 41.9 - 96.6dBA.

it was observed that the minimum noise levels were associated mostly with residential and conservation areas; while the maximum noise levels were mostly associated with commercial areas, vehicle parks, and transportation corridors.

generally, the noise levels exceeded the tolerable limits for academic, commercial, and residential areas set by the world health organisation (WHO) and the national environmental standards and regulations enforcement agency (NESREA).

the pearson’s correlation coefficients (r) between the average noise levels and both standards (WHO and NESREA) were derived as 0.63 and 0.58 respectively, indicating a slightly high positive correlation.

these findings serve as a valuable knowledge base to inform the university management on the need to implement abatement measures aimed at maintaining the noise levels within tolerable limits.