THREE weeks ago I wrote about noise pollution and its effects, particularly referring to residents who live close to the Kitty seawall and are disturbed by the blasting speakers on Sunday nights.
I noticed that the Guyana Police Force (GPF) has established a police outpost on the Kingston seawall just a few days before my article appeared and was I reliably informed that the following Sunday the music was shut off at midnight.
However, the following Sunday the ear-splitting music was back and playing well into the wee hours of Monday, once again robbing residents of precious sleep when they need to be up early to prepare for work.
Why, I wonder, must the enjoyment of some be had at the discomfort of others, and on a regular basis? Every Sunday, Kitty residents have to prepare themselves for this assault on their senses. This noise is not just a nuisance but has serious repercussions for the mental and physical health of those subjected to it.
This is not a birthday party or social event which takes place once in a while. This happens every Sunday and I was told by Kitty resident Norma Daniels, that even during the week loud music can be heard coming from the seawall. As I spoke with her last Saturday evening I could hear the pounding music in the background and marvelled that she could not even carry on a conversation with me.

Ms Daniels keeps a record of the complaints she has made through the years, her visits to the authorities, even meeting and talking with the Commissioner of Police and still nothing has been done.
Why are the authorities not heeding the barrage of complaints they have been receiving from Kitty residents and the words of so many experts and agencies, who tell us that noise pollution causes a number of hearing problems and can also lead to stress and anxiety?
National Geographic even points out how excessive noise can also affect marine life and calls noise pollution “an invisible danger.”
The magazine, stating that sound is measured in decibels, says any sounds in excess of 85 decibels can harm a person’s ears. A loud rock concert is said to be around 110-120 decibels and pounding music, if not at that level, would certainly be likely to exceed 85 decibels.
Ms Daniels is particularly concerned about how this loud music affects the elderly and the very young. It has to be nerve-wracking for mothers with young babies who either cannot sleep with the racket or “jump” out of their sleep and it must surely increase the anxiety of senior citizens, who generally sleep shorter hours and who now find themselves robbed of those precious few.
The Kitty resident talks of her own feelings of anxiety as a result of this booming music and worries about how this excessive noise will affect people’s mental health. She has a fear that one night someone “who can’t take it any more will react violently.”

“Suppose somebody goes out there one night with a bat or a weapon,” asking the question, “who are you going to blame?”
Her concern is not unfounded for there is a condition known as phonophobia, whereby “loud noises can feel overwhelming and cause panic and anxiety” and another, misophonia, whereby loud sound can trigger an “outburst marked by irritation, anger, aggression,” according to verywellmind.
More importantly, the group says, “Phonophobia is a mental health condition that can manifest at any age” and may even occur in “People with a family history that includes anxiety disorder.”
It strikes me that this whole situation is a powder keg waiting to explode, compounded by the lewd lyrics often advocating violence, the petty crime, which is rampant on the seawall and the under-age drinking.

It seems too, that members of the GPF and the army are out in numbers on Sunday nights and residents feel that this is the reason why no action has been taken to even limit the hours when the music is being played.
I call once more on the authorities to step in and institute the laws on the statute books, where limits are specified for daytime and night-time in decibels, “For residential, day-time limits are 75 decibels and night-time is 60 decibels”.
In addition, the Noise Management Regulations established in 2000 fixed standards and gave the agency enforcement powers for noise management.
It is time for the noise nuisance emanating from the Kitty seawall to be addressed in accordance with the laws of this land and for residents of Kitty to get some much-needed respite from this excessively loud music.