Ban boom box parties from pristine Chag

THE EDITOR: The sudden outrage against and national interest about unnecessary loud noise are most welcomed, especially with regard to the offensive fireworks.

For decades I have had to cuddle and pacify my frightened, whimpering dogs from the loud noises of fireworks on independence night in the Queen’s Park Savannah and on Old Year’s Night as well.

My condolences therefore go out to the family of the deceased kangaroo and the many birds that dropped dead at the Emperor Valley Zoo from the flutter of their precious little hearts from unjustifiable decibels.

Unwelcomed, unacceptable noises also emanate from the boom boxes of private parties, Carnival bands, taxis, bars, doubles vendors , private vehicles, casinos and so on. And if the police and the Environmental Management Authority do not step up with their responsibilities and use the decibel meter, one day we will have the most deaf nation on this planet and an overcrowded ear, nose and throat ward in our public hospitals – to be paid for by taxpayers, of course.

There has been environmental offence caused by the hosting of parties in the sacrosanct precincts of the Chaguaramas woods. This is most unfortunate and these fetes should be banned forthwith. If some of the monkeys there have departed this life as did the kangaroo and the birds in the zoo, I would not be surprised.

I regularly walk the road by the bamboo cathedral up to the huge antenna in Chaguaramas and one morning when a noisy party was in full cry, all the birds had disappeared, except for a solitary corbeau perched on top of a headless coconut tree crying “awk, awk,” matching his vocals with the boom boxes. The howler monkeys had also disappeared far inside that morning and did not reappear for some weeks afterwards.

If Mother Nature is offended by loud, unacceptable noises then we are stupid not to heed the example of birds and animals escaping fast to save their lives and their ears from hostile boom boxes.

The Government must instruct the Chaguaramas Development Authority not to have any more boom boom parties in that pristine environment. It is a travesty against achieving an ideal societal standard. Remember always that it is the little things in life that count the most and which define our national character and concern for beauty in many living creatures.

PS MORALLES

Cascade