The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) received a total of 271 noise pollution complaints for the year 2021.
Out of the number, Greater Accra had 176 complaints representing 61 per cent while the remaining regions had 95 complaints representing 35 per cent.
Mrs Esi Nerquaye-Tetteh, Acting Director, Laboratory Services and Environmental Quality, EPA, who made these known at the EPA’s media briefing on environmental protection challenges, complaints and resolutions in Accra yesterday, noted that the complaints received were about churches, mosques, pubs, restaurants, event centres, lorry stations and block factories.
Noise pollution is the sound that is incoherent and irregular and produces an unpleasant sensation that is unwanted or that interferes with the ability to hear.
She said that the EPA also received a total of 235 complaints in 2020, with Accra having 118 complaints representing 50.2 per cent, while the other regions had 117 complaints representing 29.8 per cent.
Mrs Nerquaye-Tetteh again said the authority in 2019 received 244 noise pollution complaints with Accra still leading with 149 complaints representing 61 per cent and the remaining regions with 95 complaints representing 39 per cent.
Meanwhile, she said the EPA had embarked on public education and sensitisation activities, permitted noise generation undertakings, investigated complaints, resolved some, developed and implemented standards (Ghana Standards-Health Protection-Requirements for Ambient Noise Control).
Other actions implemented by the EPA, Mrs Nerquaye-Tetteh said were the preparation of draft noise control regulations, prosecution, compliance and enforcement activities.
She said the authority was challenged with inadequate standard sound level meters, improper siting of facilities that generate noise and stakeholders’ ineffective role playing.
Regarding the way forward, the Acting Director of Laboratory Services and Environmental Quality at the EPA stressed the need to ensure compliance of standards and the enhancement of enforcement activities.
“We are working with relevant stakeholders to ensure proper siting of noise generating facilities and intensifying stakeholder engagement (District Assemblies, traditional rulers, religious bodies, noise generating undertakings, media etc),” she stated.
“Conducting training and capacity building for the MMDAs and other relevant stakeholders on sound level monitoring, collaborating and implementing the noise control regulations and assisting facilities to tune down musical instruments to meet the requirements of the standard,” she added.
BY ABIGAIL ARTHUR
