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EPA testing noise-mapping system to lower pollution

"We have yet to offer up-to-the-minute reports on decibel readings in certain locations, like what they do with air quality forecasts."

Lin I-chun, an EPA specialist

Officials at the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) are planning to adopt a noise-mapping system that will allow them to identify locations with the highest decibel readings and help them determine sources of noise pollution.

Lin I-chun (林怡君), an EPA senior environmental specialist, confirmed yesterday that the administration has begun to test operations of such a system in the Zhongshan (中山), Songshan (松山) and Neihu (內湖) districts in Taipei.

The area covers north of Nan-jing E Road, south of Dazhi Street and Wende Road, east of Fuxing N Road and west of Tiding Avenue.

Lin said the EPA uses statistics collected through the surveillance devices installed in these areas and inputs them into the system. Road sections showing high decibel readings appear on the noise map in darker colors (purple or red), whereas those with lower decibels are marked in lighter colors (yellow or green).

Analysts then compare the mapping results to find the major sources of noise pollution. For example, the noises in the aforementioned areas mainly come from two places -- Songshan Airport and the traffic on Sun Yat-sen Freeway and Tiding Expressway.

"We have yet to offer up-to-the-minute reports on decibel readings in certain locations, like what they do with air quality forecasts," she said, given the limited number of surveillance devices installed.

Lin added that the EPA would discuss possible options for the next test area tomorrow.

The EPA also said in a statement yesterday that it plans to integrate all the large metropolitan areas in the country into the noise-mapping system after it has solved all technical difficulties. The environmental protection bureaus in each county will then be able to take immediate action to control noise.

EPA statistics showed that noise pollution was the No. 1 source of complaints in recent years. Last year, the number of complaints over noise pollution reached 37,000, accounting for 31 percent of all the cases EPA handled.
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