Noise surveillance initiative set to protect families, communities

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in collaboration with the National Data Management Authority (NDMA), has begun placing sound monitoring devices along the seawalls, with a wider national rollout to follow.

Speaking at the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry’s (GBTI) 190th anniversary dinner on Saturday night, President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali announced that the devices are being used to measure noise levels in areas where entertainment businesses operate.

This initiative comes after numerous complaints from residents about disruptions to family life.

“The sound alarm is not meant to stop the music and celebration on the seawalls,” he said. “They are now testing to see the levels that are acceptable, that will allow the entertainment whilst not disturbing the peace of families and communities.”

Once the testing phase is complete, a standard acceptable noise level will be published, the president revealed.

Entertainment operators will then be expected to voluntarily remain within that threshold, with President Ali indicating that there would be no immediate legal consequences for those who do not comply.

He described the initiative as part of a broader national effort to improve the quality of life, saying the government wants citizens to enjoy both public entertainment spaces and the quiet of their own homes.

“Quality time is not only what we spend in entertainment areas, but how families can enjoy their own private space,” he said.

DPI