Maroc - NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 04/Jan 17:12

CANPTT: Most areas ignored fireworks rules

THE country's anti-noise NGO said people in most areas of Trinidad and Tobago had not complied with new laws to reduce the disturbance made by fireworks, in the new year period, talking to Newsday on January 2. Citizens Against Noise Pollution in TT (CANPTT) vice president Lindy-Ann Bachoo said some areas such as parts of San Fernando had shown some improvement, but most areas had not. She named areas with noise miscreants as reported to CANPTT as including other parts of San Fernando, Debe, Perseverance (Couva), Diego Martin and the East West corridor. She was disturbed that her group seemed to have received a high number of complaints about dogs being unduly disturbed by firework noise over the new year period. The new law allowed members of the public to let off fireworks for half-hour on each side on the midnight new year, that is from 11.30 pm on December 31 to 12.30 am on January 1, violation of which would result in a $450 fine. Newsday asked if new law had been effective. Bachoo said in the new year's period, CANPTT had received about 100 submissions from its members offering feedback. "What we recognised is that there were some areas that held to the restriction, that were compliant. "But what we recognised was that the majority of areas in TT they were still letting go the fireworks afterwards (later than the 12.30 am deadline.)" She said CANPTT had tried to categorise areas, as improved, same or worsened. "In some areas of San Fernando it was pretty bad, and the there were other areas (of San Fernando) where it might not have been so bad, that is, they kept to the 12.30 am cut-off." Bachoo was able to judge various areas by way of reports sent in by members to CANPTT. "In South and Central and certain parts of North like Diego Martin etcetera it was pretty bad. It kept going on until 2 am or 3 am, with some people even reporting until the early hours of the morning and then the next day after that." She said noise-making outside of hours had occured across a large swarth of areas, just like last year. "This year we saw even more cases of animals being harmed. There were a couple of videos,one which showed a dog being lodged in a car engine. "We saw another one where a gentleman who is an animal activist, where his dogs were hiding in a cupboard. "There were reports as well across all the animal NGO pages that there were animals that were just lost. There were increased reports from vets of increased cases coming into them following New Year's." Newsday asked if CANPTT was aware of its members making noise reports and of any increase in police presence in communities to monitor fireworks discharge. Bachoo said, "We got maybe a couple of reports that stated there was a police patrol in their community. "But I think a lot of people were dubious as to whether or not the police service would respond. "We had reports prior to Old Year's of citizens calling the police station and we had a number of reports where the officers themselves said they did not receive any type of memo. They did not get any particular type of instruction, with regard to the discharge of fireworks and the monitoring of it." Newsday asked her to explain what she meant by suggesting many people were dubious over the police regarding fireworks. Bachoo said, "From what we understand, there were also citizens who did not bother to call the police because they did not think they would get a response." She blamed citizen scepticism towards the police on fireworks to an alleged prior inaction by the police to citizens' complaints of noisy music. Bachoo said, "It goes back again to that in the past if citizens have called about for instance noise complaints with regard to loud noise, it is hot and cold. "They are not sure whether they will get as response. Most of the time they do not get a response. "So it just spilled over to the fireworks issue, where they say 'I am going to call about the fireworks' but (previously) they had not got a response and they do not call. It's a waste. It's fruitless. They believe it would be fruitless. Futile." She recalled negative signals over the police from a CANPTT member. "The station told her they were not aware of what would be the strategy in terms of apprehending and patrolling for this period regarding fireworks." Newsday asked if CANPTT had any reports of people discharging a whole fresh batch of fireworks on the night January 1, almost 24 hours after the permissible time for Old Year's night? Bachoo replied, "We did. We did get reports about it spilling over into the day after." Newsday pressed as to whether CANPTT had noticed a whole restart of fireworks in the daytime and evening of January 1. "We got reports on the New Year's day itself." Asked for her recommendations, she said her group trusted the government would meet with stakeholders, to go forward. "The health impacts are still adverse. Every year we are getting reports of animals being harmed as well as vulnerable groups – shift workers, the elderly, children, special needs children as well." She mulled the setting of a one hour window for discharge. "Although the time has been reduced, the impact is still adverse on these groups. This is something we need to look at going forward." Bachoo also lamented the year round menace of noisy music. "In addition to the fireworks, we got numerous reports of loud and excessive music. "At one point there were reports coming into us that it was just a cacophony of sound, because there were the fireworks going on as well as loud music going on in the wee hours of the morning. "Fireworks is a serious issue but comes up at seasonal high points where it is detrimental. "But the issue of loud music and the use of amplified devices, especially at night, is becoming even more and more harmful to communities in our country. "It needs to have some kind of enforcement and sensitisation with regard to the detrimental effect." The post CANPTT: Most areas ignored fireworks rules appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.