A city "sick" from noise
Acoustic contamination (I)
A diagnosis carried out by the government of the National District on 70 of the so-called "colmadones"-corner markets with lots of loud music-whose preliminary results were obtained by Diario Libre, found that all of them emitted sounds above the 55 decibels permitted by national standards for the nighttime hours in residential neighborhoods.
What affects the woman is called, formally, sonic contamination, defined as an excess of sound that alters the normal conditions of the environment in a determined area. In the large cities of the world it is the most frequent contaminant, that which reflects in a negative manner on the health and the quality of life of its citizens. According to the World Health Organization, nearly 805 of those that live in modern cities are submitted to noise levels over the recommended.
In the Dominican capital, the problems in this area are serious and in some areas they become unbearable to the human ear. This was proven by the diagnosis carried out by the City Government of the National District among 70 of those "colmadones" and places that sold alcoholic beverages. These places have been previously identified by the statistics at the National Police as the places with the most noise complaints.
According to the preliminary report, to which Diario Libre had access, all of the establishments measured violated or were at the limit allowed by the national standards which is 65 decibels during the day for residential areas and 55 db at night.
In order to get an idea of the seriousness of the situation, the lowest measurement that was obtained in the night time observations was 60 db (five above the approved limit) and this occurred at a distance of 40 meters, which is to say some 10 houses away from the source of the noise. In the interior of some "colmadones" these levels reach 100 db, an amount that implies serious health risks, This was the case of Magna Drink, located in Manganagua, that at the moment of measurement by the decibel meter (noise meter), marked 105 db, and at the Super Bodega Ovalle, on Ovando, the level was 100 db.
Besides the very loud music at the markets, the citizens also complain of the "noise" produced by the locals at these centers. On many occasions, they say, that the "musicon" that the customers bring in their cars and SUVs is louder than that of the markets themselves. In the face of this reality, the workers at these businesses answer "that they cannot control what happens in the customers' vehicles".
To the extreme
For the city councilman, Julian Roa, who took part in the investigation, these results show that "Santo Domingo is a sick and contaminated city, in the extreme, because of the noise".
He explains that they chose the "colmadones" and the "drinks" because they are the main offenders of the so-called "invisible" contamination in the capital, and "above all because they constitute voluntary sources". "The diagnosis was carried out in order to find a solution to this", said the councilman, who has already submitted to the City Council a proposal for regulations and standards to cover the sounds that are emitted from "fixed sites", such as markets, residences, electric generators, and factories.
The noise from movable sources, which also torture the residents of the capital, such as that issuing from vehicles, speakers and disco-lights, will be regulated in a set of standards that he expects to submit later on.
According to article 114 of Law 64-00 on the Environment and Natural Resources, the regulation of noise levels is under the aegis of the Ministry of the Environment in coordination with the city councils and the municipal police. Following the law, the "Environmental Standards for Protection against noise" were created, and they establish the maximum levels allowed in the national territory, but in practice these limits are little known by the population and their application is not effective. Until last year when the first conviction and sentence was handed down for noise, the majority of the establishments that violated the standards hardly had their speakers and chairs confiscated. And the property was recovered a short while later after paying a fine.
Coming to grips
Roa looks at the weak coercive measures available to justify the need that the National District institute a specific set of regulations. "The national standards are good, but they need to come to ground in the cities", he points out.
In essence, the proposal suggests the training and appointment of inspectors and a coercive part, which will allow for the city government to send law breakers to the city courts. Roa seems optimistic that if it is approved, his standards will manage to have better results than those obtained until now because the municipal inspectors, that will have legal quality and authority, can roam the city and supervise the places that are guilty of noise contamination without the need to have a previous complaint as occurs now.
The inspector can write a citation and with it the city will submit the case to a city court which can order the temporary closure of the market and even fines.
The Diagnostic
The study was carried out in the three electoral districts of the National District. According to what was said by Councilman Julian Roa, in District One, they chose 28 markets, in District Two they chose 10, and in Three, they measured 32 markets. The measurements were taken from 8:30 p.m. until 2:00 a.m., starting at first from Thursday until Sunday and then from Monday to Wednesday. The measurements were taken at the source of the noise, which is to say at the "colmadon", at 20 meters and at 40 meters away.
The "Colmadones"
After multiple complaints from the neighbors, and the sentence of six days in jail for the owners of the "El Furgon de las frías", in San Cristobal, some owners of popular markets and "drinks" have taken steps to regulate the noise levels. Among these steps is that they have opted to place noise dampers and roofs on their places of business so that the music stays inside.
At the moment of the measurements, the businesses with the highest noise level were: Manga Drink (105 dB), Ovalle (100 dB), La Hebilla (95.1 dB), Mañon (94.6 dB), Gorguito (94.1 dB) and Yacuza (93.5 dB).
What affects the woman is called, formally, sonic contamination, defined as an excess of sound that alters the normal conditions of the environment in a determined area. In the large cities of the world it is the most frequent contaminant, that which reflects in a negative manner on the health and the quality of life of its citizens. According to the World Health Organization, nearly 805 of those that live in modern cities are submitted to noise levels over the recommended.
In the Dominican capital, the problems in this area are serious and in some areas they become unbearable to the human ear. This was proven by the diagnosis carried out by the City Government of the National District among 70 of those "colmadones" and places that sold alcoholic beverages. These places have been previously identified by the statistics at the National Police as the places with the most noise complaints.
According to the preliminary report, to which Diario Libre had access, all of the establishments measured violated or were at the limit allowed by the national standards which is 65 decibels during the day for residential areas and 55 db at night.
In order to get an idea of the seriousness of the situation, the lowest measurement that was obtained in the night time observations was 60 db (five above the approved limit) and this occurred at a distance of 40 meters, which is to say some 10 houses away from the source of the noise. In the interior of some "colmadones" these levels reach 100 db, an amount that implies serious health risks, This was the case of Magna Drink, located in Manganagua, that at the moment of measurement by the decibel meter (noise meter), marked 105 db, and at the Super Bodega Ovalle, on Ovando, the level was 100 db.
Besides the very loud music at the markets, the citizens also complain of the "noise" produced by the locals at these centers. On many occasions, they say, that the "musicon" that the customers bring in their cars and SUVs is louder than that of the markets themselves. In the face of this reality, the workers at these businesses answer "that they cannot control what happens in the customers' vehicles".
To the extreme
For the city councilman, Julian Roa, who took part in the investigation, these results show that "Santo Domingo is a sick and contaminated city, in the extreme, because of the noise".
He explains that they chose the "colmadones" and the "drinks" because they are the main offenders of the so-called "invisible" contamination in the capital, and "above all because they constitute voluntary sources". "The diagnosis was carried out in order to find a solution to this", said the councilman, who has already submitted to the City Council a proposal for regulations and standards to cover the sounds that are emitted from "fixed sites", such as markets, residences, electric generators, and factories.
The noise from movable sources, which also torture the residents of the capital, such as that issuing from vehicles, speakers and disco-lights, will be regulated in a set of standards that he expects to submit later on.
According to article 114 of Law 64-00 on the Environment and Natural Resources, the regulation of noise levels is under the aegis of the Ministry of the Environment in coordination with the city councils and the municipal police. Following the law, the "Environmental Standards for Protection against noise" were created, and they establish the maximum levels allowed in the national territory, but in practice these limits are little known by the population and their application is not effective. Until last year when the first conviction and sentence was handed down for noise, the majority of the establishments that violated the standards hardly had their speakers and chairs confiscated. And the property was recovered a short while later after paying a fine.
Coming to grips
Roa looks at the weak coercive measures available to justify the need that the National District institute a specific set of regulations. "The national standards are good, but they need to come to ground in the cities", he points out.
In essence, the proposal suggests the training and appointment of inspectors and a coercive part, which will allow for the city government to send law breakers to the city courts. Roa seems optimistic that if it is approved, his standards will manage to have better results than those obtained until now because the municipal inspectors, that will have legal quality and authority, can roam the city and supervise the places that are guilty of noise contamination without the need to have a previous complaint as occurs now.
The inspector can write a citation and with it the city will submit the case to a city court which can order the temporary closure of the market and even fines.
The Diagnostic
The study was carried out in the three electoral districts of the National District. According to what was said by Councilman Julian Roa, in District One, they chose 28 markets, in District Two they chose 10, and in Three, they measured 32 markets. The measurements were taken from 8:30 p.m. until 2:00 a.m., starting at first from Thursday until Sunday and then from Monday to Wednesday. The measurements were taken at the source of the noise, which is to say at the "colmadon", at 20 meters and at 40 meters away.
The "Colmadones"
After multiple complaints from the neighbors, and the sentence of six days in jail for the owners of the "El Furgon de las frías", in San Cristobal, some owners of popular markets and "drinks" have taken steps to regulate the noise levels. Among these steps is that they have opted to place noise dampers and roofs on their places of business so that the music stays inside.
At the moment of the measurements, the businesses with the highest noise level were: Manga Drink (105 dB), Ovalle (100 dB), La Hebilla (95.1 dB), Mañon (94.6 dB), Gorguito (94.1 dB) and Yacuza (93.5 dB).