The prevention and control of noise pollution is a systematic project

Source: People's Daily

Prevention and control of noise pollution is a systematic project (People's Times)

I was taking a lunch break, but I was woken up by the noise of the construction site outside the window; I was disturbed by the noisy square dance music downstairs; I was startled by the huge roar of motor vehicles walking on the road... Many people may have experienced similar encounters. According to the "2021 China Environmental Noise Pollution Prevention and Control Report" issued by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the problem of noise disturbance ranks second among the public reports received by the "National Ecological environment petition complaint and report management platform". How to better solve the problem of noise pollution is a must-answer question for governance.

Not long ago, the 32nd session of the Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress voted to pass the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Prevention and Control of Noise Pollution. The law, which will be implemented on June 5 this year, covers the fields of noise pollution prevention and control standards and planning, supervision and management of noise pollution prevention, industrial noise pollution prevention, construction noise pollution prevention, transportation noise pollution prevention, social life noise pollution prevention and control, and corresponding legal responsibilities, which is of great significance for protecting and improving the living environment and maintaining social harmony.

Laws are an effective means of solving the problem of noise pollution. The current Law on the Prevention and Control of Environmental Noise Pollution in the mainland came into force on March 1, 1997, and the results are obvious to all. However, compared with more than 20 years ago, the situation of noise pollution prevention and control in the mainland has undergone major changes. On the one hand, the public's environmental awareness has increased, and there are higher requirements for the quality of the sound environment; on the other hand, the polluted areas have expanded from cities to rural areas, new noise sources continue to appear, and outdoor activity noise and indoor noise pollution are also increasingly frequent. This puts forward new requirements for the prevention and control of noise pollution.

"When the law and the times turn, they rule, and when they rule and the world, they have merit." The newly promulgated Noise Pollution Prevention and Control Law deletes the word "environment" in the original name, clarifies that the object of legal norms is limited to man-made noise, and has been revised and improved in strengthening source prevention and control, strengthening noise classification management, and strengthening social co-governance. In view of the problems such as square dance noise disturbance and motor vehicle roar disturbance in public places in recent years, the new law is clear: organizing or carrying out entertainment, fitness and other activities in public places, failing to comply with the regulations of public place managers on activity areas, time periods, volume, etc., failing to take effective measures to cause noise pollution, or using audio equipment in violation of regulations to produce excessive volume, refusing to correct them, giving a warning, and individuals may be fined between 200 yuan and 1,000 yuan; it is forbidden to drive to dismantle or damage mufflers. Unauthorized modification of motor vehicles such as exhaust pipes cause noise pollution by roaring, speeding, etc. The relevant regulations respond to the concerns of people's livelihood and provide solid support for the prevention and control of noise pollution.

The prevention and control of noise pollution is a systematic project, in addition to increasing the punishment, it is also necessary to make great efforts in advance prevention. The Noise Pollution Prevention and Control Law adds a chapter on "Noise Pollution Prevention and Control Standards and Planning", which clearly stipulates that "environmental impact assessments shall be carried out in accordance with the law, and the impact of noise generated by urban and rural areas development, transformation and construction projects on the surrounding living environment shall be fully considered", emphasizing that "the noise-proof distance between buildings and traffic trunk lines shall be reasonably delineated in accordance with the national acoustic environmental quality standards and relevant standards for sound insulation design of civil buildings". Focusing on "governance" and "prevention" can only achieve the effect of doubling the results with half the effort.

The prevention and control of noise pollution is not only a topic of rule of law, but also a question of civilization. The whole society should enhance the awareness of noise pollution prevention and control, and consciously reduce noise emissions from social life. In real life, we also see many civilized moves to actively reduce noise. For example, some square dance organizers equip participants with Bluetooth headsets, which do not produce noise and meet the fitness needs of the masses; some communities stipulate that they do not carry out activities such as renovation during rest time and weekends, and strictly control the noise within a certain limit. Promoting civilization with the rule of law will surely create a quiet, harmonious, comfortable and livable living environment for the broad masses of the people.

The life of the law is in its implementation. By planting the soil of the rule of law and the soil of society for the prevention and control of noise pollution, and continuously improving the level of social governance and conserving the water level of social civilization, we will certainly be able to keep noise away from the daily life of the masses and let tranquility accompany us all the time.

Peng Fei