Loud bangs, bells and church clocks at night

Malta, like other southern European countries, has always been known for its love of noise. Just look at what Lord Byron remarked about our country.

Loud noise from various sources has become the order of the day and we have grown so accustomed to it that we rarely bother to stop and think about the harm it causes.

To Kristina Chetcuti's list (Turn Down That Noise, November 3) I would add three other factors that contribute to our national din: loud petards, church bells and clocks. I wonder how many decibels Ms Chetcuti's noise meter would have registered in the summer months when loud petards are served daily for breakfast, lunch and supper!

Last August, Victor Axiak, chairman of the Archdiocese's Environment Commission, said that noise levels need to be controlled and, if necessary, excessive noise stopped completely. Several experts insist that the maximum level of noise permitted should not exceed 115 decibels. In some cases, feasts in Malta produce bangs that surpass all acceptable limits.

Prof. Axiak also warned that blasts and tremors caused by powerful shells could also potentially damage frescoes and paintings adorning church interiors. Checking them lies squarely in the hands of the authorities concerned and not the Church. We will wait patiently for the next festa season and keep our fingers crossed. I hope that the promises being made to turn down loud petards will be kept next summer.

Knowing that too much bell-ringing is an inconvenience, especially to those who live nearby, in its document regarding local feasts the Church forbids any ringing during festa days between 1 and 4 p.m. and also between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.

The Church also insists that since its bells are blessed, they cannot be used for profane purposes. I humbly ask why are many church clocks allowed to chime the night away every 15 minutes, when in its document on feasts the Church itself is forbidding any bell chimes between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m.? Between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. a church clock would chime 184 times!

A nice way to punctuate what's left of the night's silence. Isn't this nerve-wracking for the people who live nearby? Aren't clock chimes another form of bell-ringing? So much so that where some people protested, church clocks' chimes were either turned down or stopped completely, at least for the night. Again, in this day and age, who needs a church clock to know the time during the night? Not to mention those loud sound systems some cars have. These also contribute to a proper nightmare. And yet the noise goes on and on.