Eradicating common noise pollution

It is 6.30 a.m. and all is quiet in the village square. Suddenly, the silence is broken by the continuous blowing of a horn. The kerosene seller has arrived and, as has happened in the days of his father and grandfather, he proceeds to wake up the whole village by blowing his horn uninterruptedly for a full minute even though there is absolutely no need for this as all the villagers are aware of his time of arrival. Case number one of common noise pollution in Malta.

It is early afternoon on a Sunday and some people are availing themselves of the siesta period by sleeping. However, some youths arrive in their cars and stop in front of one of the local clubs. They proceed to play music on their car stereos at such a high volume that for the poor people in their beds it seems as if an earthquake is in process! This goes on for a couple of hours before the youths drive off. Case number two of common noise pollution in Malta.

It is 11.30 p.m. and in a particular street one is forced to listen to a popular television programme whether one wants to or not. This is because one selfish televiewer only feels comfortable when the volume of her TV is full-on. If one of the neighbours wants to sleep, then he/she must await the pleasure of the televiewer to switch off her television set at her convenience! Case number three of common noise pollution in Malta.

I could go on and on. Note that I have used the term "common noise pollution", in other words, everyday noise pollution that one encounters everywhere in Malta and which is a nuisance to the vast majority of citizens of the Maltese islands. I have concentrated on this type of noise pollution because I believe that it is the easiest to eradicate. Other types of noise pollution, such as those associated with feasts, are less common and, in my opinion, far more difficult to eradicate. So let us concentrate on what can be done today and on what disturbs the biggest number of people on a daily basis.

How can common noise pollution be eradicated as much as possible from the Maltese islands? First of all, it is useless to try and reason with certain people. There are some people who, when asked politely not to disturb others through unnecessary noise, respond with obscene language and threatening gestures.

Resorting to lodging a report at the local police station may work but one has to keep in mind that the police have so many things to cope with that pursuing every noise pollution report will probably place a heavy strain on limited human resources desperately needed in the everyday fight against serious crime.

The solution lies, I believe, in using local wardens to control noise pollution in towns and villages. I know that some readers will probably flinch at the very mention of local wardens. However, let us stop for a minute to reflect. The role of local wardens should be to educate the citizen in civic consciousness and to be of assistance to the citizen at all times.

It is true that the antics of a few local wardens have given a bad name to these "servants" of the people but one must also consider the positive side of things. Citizens have become more aware of the need to observe the law even in seemingly minor things such as where to park one's car. Do you remember the bad old days when double parking was so common in such places as Sliema and Valletta?

When one used to see trucks and buses parked in green areas with the local flora crushed under the wheels? When the right of way at roundabouts was hardly ever observed and collisions were so common at such places?

Yes, local wardens have left a positive impact and now they should be empowered to tackle an even greater challenge: Eradicating common noise pollution. Unless you are one of those few people who seem to find silence oppressive, you should welcome initiatives aimed at making it possible for you to enjoy your leisure without having some selfish person ruining everything by creating unwelcome noise.

A group of local wardens assigned to patrolling a town/village and stopping people from creating noise pollution while educating them on the consequences of their actions would go a long way towards eradicating common noise pollution from our towns and villages.