As has already been pointed out by AD chairman Arnold Cassola (AD says residents need protection, Times of Malta, 12 April 2014) and Caroline Said Lawrence of the Friends of Cottonera Forum (Hazardous industrial work in Cottonera, Times of Malta, 27 April 2014), residents of the Three Cities and environs have been plagued around the clock by excessive noise pollution resulting from the oil rig repair works in French Creek.

As residents of Senglea’s Bastion Street we live right at the doorstep of the dockyard and suffer from its accompanying noise night and day. Measurements of continuous noise levels in the evening and at night prove that the noise is indeed excessive: readings between 00:30 and 01:00 a.m. show an average 65 dB(A) in our bedroom balcony and 60 dB(A) from the bed*.

The WHO (World Health Organization) Europe Guidelines for Community Noise (1999) recommend sound levels no higher than 30 dB(A) in bedrooms to ensure a good night’s sleep. The WHO Night Noise Guidelines for Europe (2009) further recommend a target of 40 dB(A) as a maximum for outside night noise, “to protect the public, including the most vulnerable groups such as children, the chronically ill and the elderly”.

The situation in Senglea and surroundings is clearly far from meeting the target levels recommended by the WHO. How can the government allow, and even encourage, such noisy and dirty industrial activity so close to residential areas, when there is clear scientific evidence of the negative impact on the health and well-being of the local residents?

Suzanne Maas & Christian Debono

Senglea