Village feasts getting louder

Salvu Felice Pace, Għasri

At last I have to agree with Anthony Licari. His contribution The Joy of Sharing Noise (April 12) about dangerous noise was excellent and straight to the point. Even though it has all been said before, it is always worth repeating, especially now that the environment is topping the list of the new government's political agenda.

We cannot aim at a better qualitative environment if we carry on condoning noise by sanctioning "nerve wracking, ear-drum piercing and baby scaring" petards, as he put it, in every celebration both civil and religious.

Considering the human misery that fireworks have caused to countless families, it is truly amazing that no Church or civil leader has so far said: enough is enough.

Of course the spectacle of coloured fireworks is indeed welcome but why do we need to have huge bangs at the end of such beautiful displays.

We seem to have had an increase in noise even at the end of the most beautiful and artistic colourful displays.

Some people have complained that they feel a thump in the solar plexus as petards explode and others mention damage to the ears - surely this can't be healthy. Why doesn't the medical profession exert some pressure regarding these effects?

Can anything be done to reduce the smog produced by fireworks? Such pollution surely must affect people who suffer from respiratory diseases such as asthma and others.

If in order to cut down on pollution the volume of fireworks allowed has to be regulated, then so be it. At the moment villages and towns pride themselves in outdoing their opposite numbers.

As the EU is embarking on a policy which aims at improving air quality standards, this is time for both government and opposition to put their heads together and legislate seriously about all the aspects of fireworks, from the importation of dangerous substances, transport of such, volume, storage, noise, times allowed for setting off fireworks and so on.

And the Church must play its part. Without the Church's say so, no feast can be celebrated on these islands.

Comments

Mario Micallef (on 29/4/08)

Mr Felice Pace,loud bangs or what you call them, are no way of exaggeration. May I remind you that there is legislation in place ruling the circumference of certain petards(bombi)...otherwise if you are referring you murtali tal-beraq..you are totally out of place...its not only in Malta that they are popular but in southern Spain and Italy...I must tell you that what Maltese pyrotechnicians managed to achieve in such things nobody on earth managed...no wonder this island is top in fireworks worldwide..cause in other things we always fail..there's a whole mastering system in managing to change the sound of reports(beraq)...