The 911 emergency number in both cities receives approximately 18 reports of noisy neighbors per day.
Seven out of 10 people who live in Cancun suffer from stress, depression, anxiety, insomnia and even heart disease for a reason that is always present, although it is rarely given importance: noise pollution or excessive noise. And the municipal administrations are to blame, according to experts.
A recent study by the consulting firm MexData reveals that Cancun is one of the cities in the country with the highest percentage of the population affected by the noise produced by cars, pets, parties, bars, live music and even family discussions.
The report details that while in cities such as Puebla and Monterrey only 34% suffer from exposure greater than 65 decibels, the limit recommended by the World Health Organization, in Cancun 72% and in Playa del Carmen 68% of the population live every day with higher decibel levels.
The causes, cites the study, are several, but it highlights that the main one has to do with the decision of the different municipal administrations to allow large developers to build too many homes in very small spaces, with walls that do not isolate noise.
In an average city, the noise heard on the street is 74 decibels, while inside the home, which must function as a shelter and insulation, 24 decibels are recorded.
In Cancun, the consultant MexData reported 103 decibels on public roads, and 96 within homes, also a consequence of a density of 173 houses per hectare (when the figure recommended by the Mexican Institute of Competitiveness (IMCO) is 50 houses per hectare) according to reports from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI).
The MexData document points out that this overexposure to noise is causing hearing loss at younger ages, since 35% of Cancun residents responded that they have detected hearing problems at 40 or 50 years of age, when it is normal to do so around 65 , as reported by the WHO.
Half of those surveyed by MexData also recognized that the noise from ambulances, motorcycles, police cars, parties or the television and music from their neighbors do not let them sleep well at night, causing insomnia or interrupted sleep.
In turn, this situation impacts stress and anxiety problems among the inhabitants, but because 86% think that this situation is inevitable, they do not receive medical attention to treat these conditions.
Although local regulations establish fines of up to 3,200 pesos for those who generate excessive noise in urban housing areas, they are rarely infracted.
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