We are assaulted daily by noise nuisance from charlatans, religious organisations, rubbish collectors, street preachers, event centres, drinking spots, promotions, and vehicles mounted with loudspeakers selling a variety of goods whilst the authorities seem to stand idly by.
We are robbed of our constitutional right to peace and quiet in our homes.
The selfish, and some would say wicked noise makers, do not care that their excessive noise making is damaging our health and well-being.
In addition to hearing loss, exposure to noise pollution can cause stress, anxiety, depression, high blood pressure, and heart disease.
It is for this reason that we have laws and regulations on noise making.
Unfortunately the laws seem to adorn our statute books instead of being enforced. We seem to have a problem or perhaps we are allergic to enforcement.
Enforcement, enforcement, enforcement is key to restoring sanity.
The willingness to enforce noise abatement laws, bye-laws and regulations seems to be absent, and lawlessness reigns.
A case in point is Gold Coast Restaurant and Drinking Bar. There have been numerous complaints about noise nuisance from the establishment. Unfortunately, the complaints are ignored and noise pollution continues unabated especially at weekends.
One wonders whether the establishment is above the law. Is the Municipal Assembly, in this case, La Dadekotopon, unable to get the establishment to comply with the bye-laws, or is it a case of being unwilling to enforce the Law?
Athough three Agencies, the Police, the Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA) and Municipal Assemblies have a mandate to deal with noise nuisance, they often appear to play pass the parcel, a classic case of Bystander Syndrome. No one acts because everyone expects someone else to take action. Things must change. The first must be attitude – Laws are not mere suggestions and must be enforced by ALL those with responsibility to do so.
To go back to the issue of Noise Nuisance by The Gold Coast Restaurant & Cocktail Bar, in October 2021, the EPA in a report, recommended that:
1. The La Dadekotopon Municipal Assembly should ensure that The Gold Coast Restaurant & Cocktail Bar operates in compliance with the Municipal Assembly’s Bye-laws on permissible noise levels recommended for residential areas.
2. The La Dadekotopon Municipal Assembly should undertake the following to help mitigate the effects of the excessive noise levels emanating from the entertainment facility:
Restrict The Gold Coast Restaurant & Cocktail Bar from live band music sessions
and the use of outdoor loudspeakers;
Limit the use of public address system and loudspeakers to enclosed and confined
spaces within the entertainment facility at reduced sound levels
Ensure installation of noise control features at The Gold Coast Restaurant & Cocktail Bar i.e. acoustic ceiling, double glazed windows/doors and sound-proof panels, to confine excessive noise to inner perimeters of the facility.
3. Closure of the facility by the city authority should The Gold Coast Restaurant & Cocktail Bar fail to satisfactorily implement the above.
The recommendations have not been implemented and Gold Coast Restaurant and Drinking Bar continues to cause noise pollution even during the current Noise Ban in La.
The question is are they above the law? If not, why are they allowed to continue causing noise pollution four years after complaints were made, and almost two years since the EPA issued its report? Why is La Dadekotopon Municipal Assembly not implementing the recommendations made by the EPA in 2021? Why has the EPA not ensured that the recommendations made nearly 2 years ago are implemented?
We urge La Dadekotopon Municipal Assembly to ensure that the recommendations from the EPA are implemented.
Eco-Conscious Citizens invite the public to share their experiences with noise pollution.
Awula Serwah
Eco-Conscious Citizens
Noise Pollution is a criminal offence. The Authorities need to enforce the Law and not act as if we are in the Wild West where those with power do as they please. Lawlessness is dangerous. Noise nuisance is a criminal offence because it causes harm. The Agencies with a role to play should do their job or be replaced
It’s about time we change our mentality with regards to the society we live in.People tend to get away with so many things in Ghana.It sometimes feels as if there is no rule of law.Noise must and should be criminalized.
Imagine you closing after a hard day’s work only to be met with noise from nearby churches and woken up at dawn from speakers blasting with noise from Dawn Broadcasters.
I’ve constantly had to shut all the windows in my bedroom and increase the volume of my ceiling fan in a bid to reduce the noise blasting from these speakers. After persistent requests to these churches to be considerate with the volume of their speakers, they have turned deaf ears and denied neighbours of sound sleep.
Reports to the Municipal Assembles have also yielded no results so far.
The only period we have managed to enjoy some level of peace and serenity are during mandatory ban on noise making which I look forward to every year.
What surprises me is how these churches are able to have calm church services during the ban on noise making but suddenly find it difficult to adjust the volume of their speakers after the ban.
I can only hope for a miracle one day.
So sorry about what you’re going through.
You should not have to endure noise pollution.
Have you considered legal action?
The so called laws in GH are useless, thuggery, hypocritical, fake and baseless. It has always favored the political leaders and their immediate sponsors and affiliates. Shame on them. Keep mounting crusade for democracy and groom the land to be fertile for disobedience of the law.