Dear Editor,
I live in Bath, West Berbice and my family and I, the hard working sugar workers, the old and young are subjected to this disgusting menace—noise nuisance.
As soon as Happy Birthday music starts from these houses that have either a car with a big boom boom box or a big music system you have to be prepared for at least six hours of loud music and in one case this particular house will commence at around 6.00 pm and finish at 8.00 next morning .In this case we would leave our home and seek refuge out of the area. Is there a law for this?
—-Wedding houses no longer have juke boxes but hire these cars with loud music systems and they will park on the street with the trunk open for the entire village to be bombarded with noise. Is there a law for this?
—On weekends there is a competition among these cars with loud music in front of the Chinese Supermarket in addition to a new bar which tries to compete also. Drinking and partying goes on late in the night until wee hours in the morning. Is there a law for this?
Whilst I must compliment the law enforcement agencies for ensuring that the Covid guidelines were maintained especially last Sunday and Monday, I would like to highlight that there were still persons partying with loud music after 10.00 pm. Is there an exemption from the law?
Exposure to excessive noise has been shown to cause a range of health problems ranging from stress, poor concentration, productivity losses in workplace to fati-gue from lack of sleep. Consistent noise also results in hearing impairment, hypertension, heart disease and annoyance. In some cases when it becomes intolerable it leads to confrontation and in one case a loss of life.
In most cases the owners of these boom boom boxes in cars are also partying and imbibing alcohol and proceed to drive to their destinations. Not only are they endangering their lives but other road users .The Police were trained recently in the use of breathalyzers and it might be good information how many drunk drivers were prosecuted for this year and this should be made public .
There is need for stiffer penalties for noise nuisance and drunk driving but we have to apprehend the law breakers .People are afraid to report noise nuisance because within a day their names are known to the persons who break the law. But the noise can be heard from the road whilst driving with the windows down.
I am appealing to the Honourable Minister of Home Affairs and the Police Commissioner to enforce the law and bring some semblance of order in our community. Think about all the wives of the sugar workers who have to prepare food at 3.00 am for their husbands to work at 5.00 am –they need some sleep. The farmers who have to go at 5.30 am .They need sleep. The little children and the seniors who worked all their lives to enjoy tranquillity in their later years, they need sleep .The nurses who have to concentrate on their job. They need to sleep before work.
Finally I am not against anyone who wants to enjoy themselves with their family and friends but do it so that other persons are not affected by loud noise.
Yours faithfully,
(Name and address supplied)
