Funds used for study into noise pollution
In a bid to meet European Union guidelines and not to lose 4 million euros in funding, the government said yesterday that it was financing the drawing up of noise pollution maps for Patra, Iraklio, Volos, Larissa and Ioannina, cities that all have more than 100,000 inhabitants. Similar research has already begun in Athens and Thessaloniki as Greece attempts to meet an EU guideline issued seven years ago. The aim of drawing up the maps is to identify where residents are worst affected by noise pollution and to come up with suggestions as to how this can be tackled. A survey by the Technical Chamber of Greece last year suggested that six in 10 residents of Athens and Piraeus are exposed on a daily basis to noise levels of 75 decibels, when 70 decibels is the EU’s suggested limit.
