EPA testing noise monitoring system at seawall; rollout planned for hotspots countrywide

by Sharda Bacchus

Shardabacchus@newsroom.gy

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has begun testing a permanent noise monitoring and public warning system at the Georgetown seawall as part of efforts to tackle noise nuisance complaints across the country.

Executive Director of the EPA, Kemraj Parsram, during an exclusive interview with the News Room on Tuesday, said complaints about excessive noise have persisted for years and are becoming increasingly common in residential and public spaces.

“Throughout Guyana there is always cries about noise nuisance,” Parsram said, noting that regulations governing sound-making devices have been in place since 2000 under the Environmental Protection Act.

“So whether you operating a music system or you operating a generator, or a power wash these are sound making devices and so you are required by law to operate them at a certain decibel level,” he explained.

The legal sound limits are established by the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) and vary depending on the type of zone and time of day.

For residential areas, the legal limit is 75 decibels during the day and 60 decibels at night. Commercial areas are allowed 80 decibels during the day and 65 decibels at night. Construction zones are limited to 90 decibels during the day and 75 at night, while industrial areas are capped at 100 decibels during the day and 80 at night.

Parsram warned that prolonged exposure to noise levels above the legal limits can negatively affect residents and surrounding communities.

“With all these cries of noise nuisance particularly in public spaces and the seawall was one of them… now this is not unique to the seawalls but there are bars all over the place…and residents are close by,” he said.

According to Parsram, the initiative aligns with President Irfaan Ali’s vision of creating healthier and safer communities free from excessive noise pollution.

The permanent monitoring system is currently being tested in partnership with the National Data Management Authority (NDMA). The first device was installed at the seawall over the weekend, with plans already underway to expand the system to other identified hotspots across the country after the pilot phase.

“To see what levels are allowable…the key thing is that we don’t want to stop anybody playing music, it must be at a level that is useful, safe for residents,” Parsram said.

He explained that the testing phase is intended to determine appropriate thresholds so that by the time sound reaches nearby residents, it remains at a safe and manageable level.

“As part of testing, want to see what threshold they can set and by time it get to residents it should be at a safe level so people can rest peacefully,” he added.

How the system works

Head of Air, Noise and Radiation Technical Services at the EPA, Michel Nurse, explained that the monitoring device is made up of a sensor, software and a digital display.

The system continuously monitors sound levels in real time.

“So the sensor picks up the noise, the software then compares it to preset threshold and then once the noise is above the threshold and it is being maintained for a duration of time, it will display all this information on the dashboard and it can then send alerts to both the EPA and the police,” Nurse explained.

The display is also intended to encourage operators to voluntarily lower their volume once they realise they are exceeding the legal limit.

“When displayed on the dashboard, the operators have the ability to look at it and realise that they are above the threshold and they are very loud, impacting the environment and they can take action responsibly and lower the volume on their devices so that they can fall in line with the required threshold,” Nurse said.

Parsram noted that the EPA already has the ability to monitor sound levels remotely through an application linked to the system.

“But the intention is that people self-regulate. So when they see the display they know that they are playing above the level and will cause a problem so they will bring it down,” he said.

The agency also plans to implement a system that would allow both the EPA and the Guyana Police Force to receive alerts whenever the noise exceeds the approved threshold for a prolonged period.

“Then the police can go and enforce, by firstly warning,” Parsram said.

“And overtime hopefully people would get into the culture of understanding what they need to abide by the law. Of course if they are not complying then the police and EPA have the authority to go and enforce.”

The EPA expects to bring an additional 10 monitoring devices into the country following the testing phase. Another eight decibel meters are also expected to be deployed along the seawall to help operators monitor sound levels in real time and make adjustments where necessary.

Penalties for breaches

Head of Investigations and Enforcement at the EPA, Surjpaul Singh, said the law provides for a range of penalties when breaches occur.

According to Singh, persons who exceed the legal noise limits and fail to properly soundproof their operations can face fines ranging from $300,000 to $700,000.

“You can be either prohibited we can give you a notice where we prohibit the activity from happening, once you breach that notice then we can go further by taking you to the courts,” Singh explained.

The EPA said hotspot areas are being identified based on concentrations of entertainment activities and repeated complaints from residents.

“So we are examining that data to see where is best but first we have to see how effective it is at this pilot and then determine what scale is needed,” Parsram said.

He added that the EPA is also installing individual sensors at bars considered problematic in order to closely monitor their sound output and establish proper enforcement thresholds.

“So we can monitor and see what levels they are playing and then we can then set the threshold and enforcement after that,” he said.

Despite the stricter monitoring measures, Parsram stressed that the EPA’s goal is not to shut down businesses but to encourage responsible operation and greater public awareness.

“They need to understand what the laws are and they need to understand we not here to shut down anybody business or taken bread out of anybody mouth…understand the gratification of their action on other people,” Parsram said.