During construction of a building, especially in a densely populated residential area like Dhanmondi or Uttara, developers are hardly respecting the ethics of living. I do not know if there is a guideline or law about how and when to start and close the work every day or what should be the highest permissible decibel level of noise at a construction site but this matter must be brought to the attention of the authorities.

For the last one month (the site is closed now for Eid vacation) a construction site started its piling work on Road 11A of Dhanmondi. The noise generated by the two piling machines is so high and maddening that people living around it are just simply going through torture for hours every day. During Ramadan the works of the site started at 8 am and closed at 6 pm. Now we are informed that the work would continue till late night because the developer “lost valuable time for the long Eid vacation”.

We, the elderly citizens, having nowhere to escape, are forced to keep our windows shut and bear with the extreme noise, dust and black smoke from the monstrous machines. The machines used in the construction sites, are old and faulty therefore generating so loud noise, I was told by an engineer.

During the three or four years that the construction would continue, the noisy activities from various operations will also continue. For instance, after the piling is done, brick, sand, stone, cement-laden trucks will start unloading throughout the nights. The tile cutters, the scaffolding setters and many others will work here. All we, the neighbours, want is some respect from the developers towards the residents. We know they have to construct but please not at the cost of our mental and physical health!

An elderly citizen

Dhanmondi, Dhaka