“The amounts of sanctions are doubled or even quadrupled,” explained representative Daniel Carvalho, who leads the initiative.
News Colombia.
In a momentous session, the Senate of the Republic of Colombia approved the Law against Noise, a legislative project that promises to transform the way noise pollution is faced in the country.
The initiative, which has been led by representative Daniel Carvalho, recognizes noise pollution as a serious public health problem and proposes concrete measures to mitigate its negative effects.
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The project seeks not only to regulate noise levels in urban areas, but also to protect the health of citizens and the environment.
«The fines will be the punishment for noise abusers. Once the law is passed, the legislation will have the necessary tools to address a public health problem that generates daily complaints from residents in the country’s cities,” the Senate of the Republic said in a statement.
#PlenarySenate | 📃✅ | APPROVED Bill by which the objectives, guidelines and responsibilities and duties are established.
specific powers of territorial entities, environmental and police authorities for the formulation of a…— Senate of the Republic 🇨🇴 (@SenadoGovCo) December 10, 2024
The Law against Noise has already been approved by the plenary session of the Senate and now all that remains is conciliation with the House of Representatives before it passes to presidential sanction. With this measure, Colombia would take a definitive step towards stricter regulation of noise pollution.
Protection of flora, fauna and quality of urban life
One of the main concerns of the law is the protection of fauna, particularly the birds that live in the green areas of cities and municipalities.
The project’s explanatory statement highlights that the noisiest cities in Colombia will be the main beneficiaries of this regulation, which aims to create healthier environments for both people and the urban ecosystem.
Although regulations already exist in the Police Code to regulate noise, enforcement has been limited, and authorities face difficulties in effectively enforcing sanctions. According to representative Daniel Carvalho, the current Police Code is impractical, since the implementation of sanctions requires complex procedures.
Facilitating sanctions and increasing fines
In an interview with Noticias Caracol, Carvalho explained that the new law simplifies the sanctioning process and significantly increases fines. «What is contained in the Police Code is not being easily implemented. “It is very difficult for the Police to establish a sanction or achieve the closure of an establishment,” he said.
We are happy! Today the @SenateGovCo approved in the last debate the #LawAgainstNoiseNOW. A great step towards more serene and healthy territories. My recognition and gratitude to the advisor and coordinator of this process @camiloquinterg.
A special thanks to… pic.twitter.com/U0fgL7exTp
— Daniel Carvalho (@davalho) December 11, 2024
Under the new law, the economic penalties for violating noise limits are increased considerably, and may range from 8 to 16 minimum monthly salaries, which is equivalent to approximately $20,800,000. “Currently they are from two minimum wages, so they really double or even quadruple the amount of the sanctions,” added Carvalho.
A pedagogical and participatory approach to begin implementing the measure
Despite the strong sanctions, Representative Carvalho emphasized that the law will also include pedagogical and citizen culture measures. “We do not believe that it is necessary to go in by imposing fines, but that the mayors, who will be the protagonists of this, must begin to define communicative and pedagogical strategies,” he stated.
The participatory approach will be another pillar of the law. According to Carvalho, it is crucial to listen to communities and determine which areas are most affected by noise pollution to prioritize actions.
«A mayor like that of Bogotá or Medellín should, based on this, go out and announce to his population that from now on noise is going to be a problem of interest to the mayor’s office, that he is going to begin to carry out some diagnoses and that He is going to come up with some strategies,” he concluded.
Here is the Noticias Caracol interview with the representative to the Chamber Daniel Carvalho.