He Paid $30k Cov But Noise Keeps Him Awake

[therat 18]

http://www.asiaone.com/Business/News/Story...922-238597.html

He paid $30k COV but noise keeps him awake

Thinking that staying near the MRT station would be more convenient, Mr Yeo paid cash over valuation (COV) of $30,000 for his home, but things have not worked out the way he imagined.

Shin Min Daily reported that after moving into his Tampines flat, he found the noise generated by passing trains increasingly intolerable.

Home owner complained of noise from MRT trains

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The 48-year-old Mr Yeo, who works at a hardware store, bought his flat in Block 248 on Tampines Street 21 more than a year ago.

He told the Chinese evening daily that the noise from the MRT trains has disturbed his rest, causing his fatigue.

"Before I bought the flat, my friends warned me about the potential noise from the MRT, but it seemed bearable at the time. I also thought I would get used to it over time. But after I moved in, I found it hard to bear."

Besides the fact that it was only a five minutes walk from the Tampines MRT station, He also favoured this location as it was near his daughter's secondary school.

"This unit is only 91 sq metres, smaller than the usual HDB flat (110 sq metres), but it is near the MRT. When I bought it at $350,000, I had to pay $30,000 cash over valuation."

Mr Yeo says that from 6am to 8.30am in the morning, and 6pm to 8.30pm in the evening, there are trains passing through every two to three minutes. The noise is even louder when two trains pass through in both directions.

The noise not only wakes him up, it also drowns out television programmes and telephone conversations.

Within permissible limits

A spokesperson from Singapore Mass Rapid Transit (SMRT) told Shin Min Daily that they received a complaint from Mr Yeo in january this year.

They called him within a week, and explained to his daughter that the tracks are undergoing upgrading that will help reduce the noise from trains.

SMRT also tested the volume at the flat and found it to be 62.8 decibels, which is within the permissible noise limits of 65 decibels set by the National Environmental Agency.

The train service provider also says it conducts regular checks on the noise levels to ensure that they are within the permissible range.

A reporter from Shin Min Daily visited Mr Yeo at 4pm in the afternoon on Monday, and measured the noise level from a window facing the train tracks. She found that the sound from one train passing through reached 72 decibels.

According to the NEA website, the permissible noise limit in a residential area should be less than 75 decibels from 7am to 7pm, and less than 65 decibels from 7pm to 10pm.

[Karter 0]

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