Noise complaints surge in Cape Town
Image: Doctor Ngcobo/African News Agency(ANA)
THE City's Environmental Health Practitioners have recorded a 57% increase in noise complaints in the past two years.
The top sources of noise complaints are places of late-night entertainment, events with amplified sound and residential business/workshop noise.
At the height of load-shedding in 2023, generator noise complaints too increased dramatically.
This, along with the launch of an online service request system resulted in a 57% increase in noise complaints in the 2023/24 financial year, from 1 216 to 1 905, the City said.
In the current financial year, the number of complaints is yet again nearing the 2 000 mark.
'Noise ranks as one of the top complaints to City Health. Our specialised health services work to resolve as many complaints as possible, but this is a shared responsibility. It starts with understanding what constitutes noise, how we are potentially contributing to it, and what can be done practically to mitigate the impact on others.
'It is also important to make a distinction between noise pollution and noise disturbance, as one is the responsibility of law enforcement agencies and the other is the responsibility of City Health,' said mayco member for community services and health, Francine Higham.
City Health's Noise Control Administration has a team of technicians who ensure compliance with the Western Cape Noise Control Regulations (2013), including considering applications for building plan approvals, business licence approvals, planning approvals or environmental authorisations, investigating technical complaints and making determinations through calculations or measurements, and taking enforcement actions to ensure compliance with permissible noise limits.
'International Noise Awareness Day is observed annually on the last Wednesday of April, and serves to highlight the risks of noise as a health hazard. It is a call to action to preserve our hearing and enhance our quality of life,' the City said. This year's theme is 'Noise-induced Hearing Loss: Permanent Yet Preventable'.
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