The Ministry of Environment plans to triple the number of sound cameras in operation over the next four years, to tackle the high number of noise complaints it receives, the ministry said.
The ministry last year received 108,000 noise complaints, of which 31,000 were caused by vehicles and 25,000 were caused by construction, it said.
To address the issue, it would increase the number of sound cameras from 200 to 600, it said, adding that it was also planning to develop a “noise map” to help it identify and tackle areas where the problem was particularly egregious.
Photo: Chen Chia-yi, Taipei Times
Noise complaints reached a high in 2023 at 128,000 cases, 36,000 of which were related to vehicle noise and 30,000 were about construction work.
Minister of Environment Peng Chi-ming (彭?明) on Sunday said that noise was the main source of public complaints the ministry handles.
To tackle the issue, the ministry proposed a plan that uses smart technology to make cities more liveable, he said, adding that the proposal has been submitted to the Executive Yuan.
Increasing the number of sound cameras and building a noise map are key initiatives of that proposal, Peng said.
“By analyzing when and where most noise complaints occur, authorities can strategically target offenders,” he said.
“Given that each noise camera costs NT$1 million to NT$2 million [US$30,452 to US$60,903], precise deployment is crucial. The government would also intensify inspections at noise hotspots,” Peng added.
Drilling at construction sites have been a major nuisance for residents, Peng said.
The government would work with industry stakeholders to incentivize construction companies to adopt low-noise construction methods, and to install soundproof barriers at construction sites, he said.
For noise generated by indoor renovations — which are a frequent occurrence in Taiwan, where most buildings are older — the ministry would collaborate with the Ministry of the Interior to establish noise-related regulations, and to set technical standards for soundproofing materials, Peng said.
The Ministry of Environment would budget NT$400 million for the proposal, he said
It would be funded by the ministry’s funding for pollution-control measures, the Executive Yuan’s budget for technology initiatives, public infrastructure budgets and other contributions from government agencies, he added.
“Through these measures, the government aims to significantly reduce noise pollution and improve quality of life across Taiwan,” Peng said.
An essay competition jointly organized by a local writing society and a publisher affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) might have contravened the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said on Thursday. “In this case, the partner organization is clearly an agency under the CCP’s Fujian Provincial Committee,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said at a news briefing in Taipei. “It also involves bringing Taiwanese students to China with all-expenses-paid arrangements to attend award ceremonies and camps,” Liang said. Those two “characteristics” are typically sufficient
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake that struck about 33km off the coast of Hualien City was the "main shock" in a series of quakes in the area, with aftershocks expected over the next three days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Prior to the magnitude 5.9 quake shaking most of Taiwan at 6:53pm yesterday, six other earthquakes stronger than a magnitude of 4, starting with a magnitude 5.5 quake at 6:09pm, occurred in the area. CWA Seismological Center Director Wu Chien-fu (吳健富) confirmed that the quakes were all part of the same series and that the magnitude 5.5 temblor was
The brilliant blue waters, thick foliage and bucolic atmosphere on this seemingly idyllic archipelago deep in the Pacific Ocean belie the key role it now plays in a titanic geopolitical struggle. Palau is again on the front line as China, and the US and its allies prepare their forces in an intensifying contest for control over the Asia-Pacific region. The democratic nation of just 17,000 people hosts US-controlled airstrips and soon-to-be-completed radar installations that the US military describes as “critical” to monitoring vast swathes of water and airspace. It is also a key piece of the second island chain, a string of
The Central Weather Administration has issued a heat alert for southeastern Taiwan, warning of temperatures as high as 36°C today, while alerting some coastal areas of strong winds later in the day. Kaohsiung’s Neimen District (內門) and Pingtung County’s Neipu Township (內埔) are under an orange heat alert, which warns of temperatures as high as 36°C for three consecutive days, the CWA said, citing southwest winds. The heat would also extend to Tainan’s Nansi (楠西) and Yujing (玉井) districts, as well as Pingtung’s Gaoshu (高樹), Yanpu (鹽埔) and Majia (瑪家) townships, it said, forecasting highs of up to 36°C in those areas
RSS