Noisy inconvenience hitting the sick

I wish to join Michael Conti (July 18) in his comments regarding powerful fireworks and the lack of respect for others, mainly the sick in hospital.

May I add that there are a larger number of ailing people all over the island, suffering from various health conditions, who are housebound all or the majority of the time and cannot escape the loud blasts made by fireworks and mostly by petards.

Also, in chronically-ill cases, sufferers become over-sensitive to noise.

To make matters worse, the fireworks mainly go off during the late hours of the evening when many suffering people are trying to relieve themselves from the exhaustion and frustration of another day battling with pain.

Although a sick person myself, I can appreciate the pride and flair for fireworks artistry. Indeed, the pyrotechnic industry in Malta is renowned as one of the foremost, having some of the most talented fireworks' artistes in the world. This is witnessed at the Malta International Fireworks Festival held every year.

I feel that a compromise can be reached. May I suggest two options:

1. Organising one more annual fireworks competition, this time between local manufacturers (excluding fireworks and petards from feasts completely) or

2. Letting off fireworks and petards only once (at a decent hour) on Sunday morning, on the actual patron saint's feast day.

In this way, fireworks and petard manufacturers can still display their skills while the less fortunate will not have to endure the tumult and ordeal every single day of the week as towns and villages celebrate the feasts of their patron saints in the different parts of the island.