Press: Health Ministry to permit higher noise limits

Prague, Feb 3 (CTK) - The Czech Health Ministry is to permit higher noise limits on main roads in its new regulation, the daily E15 reports yesterday.

Under the government regulation from 2006, the current limit for noise from main roads is 60 decibels during the day and 50 in the night. The Ministry intends to raise both levels by five decibels, the paper says.

"On the basis of a new regulation, the noise limits for first class roads, roads for motor vehicles, motorways and local roads can be increased in exceptional cases," a source that requested anonymity told the paper.

Yet the World Health Organisation (WHO) concludes in its latest study that the noise level above 42 decibels is dangerous for human health and the level of 55 and more decibels harms a healthy sleep, the paper reminds.

It points out that the ministry's initiative is motivated by the interest to avoid building costly sound walls and to prolong the operation on old roads.

The Health Ministry has not commented on the matter.

The Environment Ministry claims it officially knows nothing about a change in the "noise" regulation. E15 writes.

"By raising the noise limits the government might prefer an easier construction of new roads to the public health protection," said Pavel Doucha, lawyer of the Environmental Legal Service NGO, who confirmed to E15 that he had information of the planned government change in the noise regulation.

The ministry's proposal is now in the internal comment procedure during which the regional sanitary offices will send their comments on it. The process will be closed on Friday, the paper writes.

The rise in the noise limits primarily suits the Transport Ministry and its subsidised organisation, the Road and Motorway Directorate of the Czech Republic, which secures the construction and modernisation of motorways and first-class roads in the country.

The EU follows an opposite trend. The European Commission has recommended that the member states lower noise levels to the minimum and protect citizens' health, E15 writes.