Is the Environmental Protection Department serious about reducing noise pollution in Hong Kong? We live on the corner of Victoria Park and Gloucester Road. Public events are regularly held on Saturdays and Sundays in the park and the sound levels produced by the public address systems can be deafening. So much so, that it is difficult to listen to the television or radio in our own home.
Complaints to the police are met with the advice to call the Environmental Protection Department's emergency number. It being a Sunday, the emergency number recorded message informs you that the office is closed and refers you back to the police.
The police then send an officer to investigate and later inform us that they cannot take any action as the organisers of the event have a permit. Since the Environmental Protection Department officers are tucked up at home, it is impossible to get hold of one to measure the noise levels and the police are reluctant to take any further action without clear evidence of an offence.
A similar event took place on the night of January 20, when Chiu Hing Construction and Transportation, was carrying out road improvements between 11 pm and 7 am to the Gloucester Road flyover and the road at the corner of Gloucester Road and Victoria Park. This involved ripping up the road surface and then resurfacing. We were informed that these were emergency repairs, but it is debatable whether the road needed any work at all.
The sound levels of the machinery being used were way over acceptable levels, keeping local residents awake. However, a senior police inspector was unable to confirm this as he could not contact an environmental protection officer to carry out the necessary tests.
The company concerned had a permit to carry out the work, issued by the department, which laid down conditions for the type of equipment. It was clear that the officer who had signed the permit had not inspected the equipment. The police eventually stopped their operations at 4.30 am.
