GEORGE NEWS - A disgruntled resident, who is fed-up with the noise of a neighbour's power generator during prolonged load shedding periods, says their lives are being seriously disrupted by it.
He has been struggling for the past six months to have the situation resolved, but to no avail. He accuses George Municipality of not acting against people contravening the by-laws governing noise disturbance and air pollution.
"It makes it so that we can no longer freely enjoy our home and it causes an immense amount of extra, unnecessary stress. It disrupts our work," says the complainant, who wants to remain anonymous.
"It is a given that these things are too loud, cause a nuisance, and disturb the peace in the homes of all nearby residents. Not to mention that they expose innocent individuals to the very real risk of permanent noise-induced hearing damage.
"Most generators are factory-tuned to produce 70dBA under ideal circumstances, which is already 20dBA louder than the maximum described in the Western Cape Noise Control Regulations and would be defined as a noise disturbance.
"In practice the noise levels produced are much louder."
George Municipality encourages the public to insulate their generator area to reduce the noise level and possible pollution. There are also low-noise generators on the market. Photo: www.cummins.com
There are also environmental and health implications caused by the exhaust fumes polluting the air in residential areas.
He says residents with generators are themselves responsible to ensure that they are properly installed and comply with all relevant standards and by-laws and the municipality should enforce the laws.
"It is not the rest of the public's responsibility . . . to seek the resolution of such matters, spending hours of our time trying address the ongoing abuse of the peace and privacy in our homes."
According to the George Municipality, there are local building codes and safety regulations that must be adhered to, but there are no specific by-laws in place in George that deal with safety issues regarding generators.
Owners must ensure the safe installation by a qualified technician and must follow manufacturers' guidelines.
The municipality can however address noise pollution and can issue compliance notices referring to Regulation 3 of the Western Cape Noise control Regulations. In this regard, the public may contact the noise pollution officer, Abongile Nontshikiza, on 044 802 2900/1632.
Air pollution issues from a generator are addressed under George Municipality's By-law on Public Nuisances. The municipality encouraged the public to insulate their generator area to reduce the noise level and possible pollution.
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