New laws soon to check noise pollution

by Dulmin Samarasinghe

Community noise will be controlled in the near future. Legal provision will be introduced for the purpose said Deputy Director Air Resource Management and Monitoring Unit of the Central Environmental Authority (CEA) R.M. Kulasena. When provision is made, it will be submitted to the Supreme Court for approval.

At present there is no provision to take legal action against such offences, he said.

Community noise includes sounds made by mobile vendors, parties and musical shows.

Police will take legal action against drivers who use loud horns said Director of the Police Environment Protection Division Senior Superintendent of Police Quintus Raymond.

Drivers have been made aware about the permitted sound levels.

They should take extreme care when tooting horns, especially near hospitals and should strictly follow the road signs near such places.

Private bus drivers, especially those from outstation areas were found to be using such horns as they had fixed them to drive away animals, he said. It is an offence to exceed the stipulated decibel levels according to the gazette notification issued in 2011. SSP Raymond said that the police reviewed the progress of the awareness campaigns during the recent past, permitting drivers to adjust the sound levels of the horns as stipulated by law. The public can complain to the police if they are inconvenienced due to loud horns or noise in the neighbourhood.

The public should not inconvenience others when they hold parties, religious functions or musical shows.