Tag Archives: NEA

An ongoing construction project in Woodlands with a housing block next door. In Singapore, one is never far from a construction site. But residents will be able to sleep easier on weekends once new measures are in place to cut construction noise. — ST PHOTO: TERENCE TAN

THE noise from construction projects has long been the bane of residents hoping to sleep in on Sundays.

But there is hope for some peace soon.

From Sept 1, all new projects will have to stop work from 10pm on Saturday to 10am on Sunday.

This ban applies to any building project within 150m of a residential area. It also applies to the eve of public holidays and public holidays.

The duration of the ban will be further extended next year, with the stop-work rule stretching from 10pm on Saturday till Monday morning.

It will start from Sept 1 next year and apply to new projects that begin work then.

These measures, announced by Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Yaacob Ibrahim in Parliament yesterday, were greeted with equanimity by contractors.

Mr Andrew Khng, president of the Singapore Contractors Association, told The Straits Times: ‘I don’t think it’s a huge burden. Contractors and workers also need time at the weekend to rest.

‘We will probably work harder during weekdays.’

Currently, contractors can bang away on Sundays as long as the noise level from 7am to 7pm stays under 75 decibels, which is close to the sound of a car travelling on a road.

After 7pm, the noise level has to go down to 65 decibels till 10pm, when all work must stop.

But, said MP Hri Kumar Nair, ‘there will be instances where the work will from time to time exceed the limit but not break the regulations because it is sustained’.

Added the Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC MP: ‘This is of little comfort to those who have had their rest disturbed.’

Dr Yaacob admitted as much when he disclosed that 12,000 complaints were received last year. That is around 33 a day.

It was worse in 2008, when the National Environment Agency (NEA) received 14,000 complaints, up from 9,000 in 2007 and 6,000 in 2006.

MP Lim Biow Chuan (Marine Parade GRC) noted that construction noise in the middle of the night seems louder, as there is no other background noise to drown it out.

The NEA estimates that the new measures will raise construction costs by 2 to 2.5 per cent, and projects will take 10 to 17 per cent longer to finish.

While residents interviewed welcomed the move, they felt more could be done.

Mr David Seah, 54, whose Farrer Road home is a stone’s throw from the construction site of a Circle Line MRT station, suggested that the Government plant more trees and shrubs in his estate to act as a sound buffer.

Mr Seah, who works the evening shift in the food business, said: ‘They should consider people who do shift work.’

To reduce noise from cars and other vehicles, the NEA will introduce standards to match those of Japan and the European Union.

These will take effect from Oct 1 this year.

Source : Straits Times – 9 Mar 2010

THE National Environment Agency (NEA) will soon start prohibiting construction activities from 10pm on the night before a Sunday or a public holiday to 10am on the day itself. This new prohibition will apply to construction sites within 150 metres of residential areas and noise-sensitive developments that start work from Sept 1 this year.

‘We will implement the changes progressively to give the construction industry sufficient time to adjust,’ said Yaacob Ibrahim, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, while announcing the ministry’s latest measures in Parliament yesterday. ‘NEA will extend this prohibition to the rest of the day on Sundays and public holidays for sites starting work from Sept 1, 2011,’ Dr Yaacob added.

According to the minister, NEA received 14,000 and 12,000 complaints about construction noise in 2008 and 2009 respectively, compared to 9,000 and 6,000 such complaints in 2007 and 2006 respectively.

This change in policy will create a need for construction firms to rejig their work schedules, CSC Holdings Ltd CEO See Yen Tarn noted.

‘There are certain activities that have to be carried out continuously, one process after another. You cannot excavate something and then let it sit there for 24 hours, for example,’ said Mr See.

Tan Wey Pin, executive director of Lum Chang Building Contractors, also noted that almost all construction sites in Singapore will be situated within 150 metres of a residential area. Currently, his firm’s workers end work any time between 7pm and midnight on Saturday and work from 8am to 5pm on Sunday, excluding overtime.

NEA will also tighten noise standards for new and in-use vehicles, from Oct 1, 2010 and April 1, 2011, respectively. The new-vehicle standards will be based on those currently used in Japan and the European Union.

On the industrial front, there will be a mandatory requirement for companies in the industry sector using more than 15 gigawatt- hours of energy each year to appoint an energy manager that will monitor and report energy use to NEA from 2013, as part of the Energy Conservation Act that will come into force in the same year.

‘NEA will introduce the Energy Efficiency National Partnership, or EENP, in April to help companies build up the necessary capabilities before the mandatory energy management practices come into effect,’ said Dr Yaacob.

Several companies that fall in this category appear to be ahead of the curve.

‘We do more than an energy manager’s job. We have monitored the consumption of energy from Day 1,’ said CV Jagadish, CEO of Systems on Silicon Manufacturing Co Pte Ltd. This year, the company aims to reduce energy usage by almost 4 million kilowatt-hours.

STMicroelectronics will also have no trouble complying with the requirement. ‘Our site electrical manager is our resident Energy Conservation Champion, who constantly drives energy reduction opportunities at our wafer fab,’ said Renato Sirtori, group vice-president and chief financial officer of Asia STMicroelectronics.

Source : Business Times – 9 Mar 2010