Bahrain: Call to regulate timing of construction work

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Bahrain - Construction work on infrastructure projects near residential areas could be restricted to pre-determined times of the day and strictly monitored.

A proposal to ensure this, spearheaded by five MPs led by Bader Al Tamimi, comes amid numerous public complaints from Bahrain’s three municipal councils and the Capital Trustees Board.

Angry residents have been constantly demanding an end to noisy early-morning and late-night construction work which is robbing them of sleep and peace of mind.

Parliament’s public utilities and environment affairs committee has now referred the proposal to all four municipal bodies for their opinion before presenting it in the open chamber at an upcoming session.

The Muharraq Municipal Council is set to vote on the proposal, but with their own set of regulations, during their meeting on Tuesday.

Councillors there suggested that work start at 7am and end at sunset.

They have also added that work be prohibited during national holidays and both days of the weekend.

However, in case of an emergency, work could be allowed with soundproof equipment being used.

“Contractors doing road, sewage and electricity and water infrastructure projects don’t abide by timings and show up on site whenever they see fit,” claimed Mr Al Tamimi.

“Workers hammer, drill and dig while shouting instructions.

“People have every reason to get angry,” he added. “This is wrong and has to be better organised and disciplined.”

Parliament’s public utilities and environment affairs committee chairman Hisham Al Awadhi said complaints about construction noise continues to be the number one issue of concern.

“People in Bahrain are late sleepers and mostly sleep from midnight to 6am,” he said.

“So, when workers start drilling and hammering in the early hours people are woken up from their sleep even prior to the call for morning prayers at 4.30am; trust me it is hard to sleep again and this issue tops our complaints list.

“Work on site could begin at 4am provided it doesn’t involve making a loud noise – and that includes instructing workers not to shout! There should be organised timings that every contractor must respect and adhere to.”

Muharraq Municipal Council financial, administrative and legislative committee chairman Fadhel Al Oud said no one disagrees with progress and development.

“Why can’t construction work be done in a sensible way in which residents are alerted or noise buffers used?” he asked.

“There are cases of late night and early morning work that are driving people insane,” he said.

“The hammering and drilling is like gunshots to the head. The current improper practice is worse than death.”

Capital Trustees Board chairman Saleh Tarradah also called for clarity and for work timings to be made public and better communicated to residents.

“Contractors need to put up clear signs with their working hours so people can make necessary arrangements to avoid the headache, either by visiting a relative’s home, sitting in a café or going wherever, until daytime work is completed,” he added.

“The current situation is unbearable and driving people mad. People should be allowed to relax in their homes without being driven to distraction.

“It is just a matter of making advance arrangements and being community-minded. Unfortunately, contractors don’t think it is necessary, because it is not a contractual obligation.”

He added that one contractor in Jid Ali has recently set an example for others to follow by putting up notices on a wall alerting residents about roadworks about to commence. As a result, residents were able to move their vehicles within particular hours so the workers could complete the work swiftly and unhindered and everyone was happy.

“The contractor was so apologetic about any inconvenience it may have caused, which I hope that others would learn from,” said Mr Tarradah.