The high noise levels in the bars that operate on the central street of Playa Tamarindo, exceeding the permitted noise levels, have completely altered the lives of the neighbors who live in the surrounding areas; in addition, the stay of national and foreign tourists who stay in the hotels in the area.
However, the repeated complaints that the neighbors have presented to the Ministry of Health – the entity that by Law is in charge of the issue – the situation has become unmanageable because several of these commercial establishments operate with sophisticated sound equipment generating noise until the early hours of the morning (3 a.m. or 4 a.m.).
On July 19, the Ministry of Health (MS) officially reported the publication of a Regulation for the Control of Environmental Noise as part of the so-called Health Route. Sonic measurements made by residents confirm that the noise from bars in Playa Tamarindo far exceeds the permitted limits.
The MS website indicates that the “regulation aims to establish requirements and criteria aimed at protecting the health of the population in the national territory against noise, in order to guarantee the right to a healthy and ecologically balanced environment.”
This regulation, which was published in the Official Gazette La Gaceta on June 18, establishes as exceptions to the sound levels – day and night – activities such as “the installation and repair of essential public services, such as the use of machinery, construction equipment, demolition and repair of roads that generate environmental noise.
Wide exceptions
“Also excepted are the sounds produced by activities of emergency personnel and cultural, musical and sporting events in squares, parks and stadiums, provided that they have permits from the Ministry of Health,” indicates the MS website.
The issue of noise pollution has become a problem of constant complaints from residents who have to endure noise seven days a week from bars, some of which are even late in paying the municipal license fee, as was confirmed by an operation carried out on the night of January 8 and the following morning by the Municipal, Tourist and Public Security police.
The MS regulations indicate that in the case of residential areas the maximum sound level allowed is 65 decibels during the day and 40 decibels at night. In the case of areas classified as mixed, it is 70 decibels during the day and 40 decibels at night.
Including electronic music events
In recent days, citizen pressure in Los Jobos de Playa Tamarindo and Playa Avellanas has questioned the organization of electronic music events for several days, events that are promoted without the proper permits from the MS, the Municipality of Santa Cruz, or the Ministry of Public Security.
