IMAGINE waking up to the noise of a man yelling at the top of his lungs on a loudspeaker; imagine being jolted awake to what sounds like a Formula One race track. Now stop imagining and come live or just spend a day at any of the apartments near the Bao’an Stadium.

Every day, and I mean it, literally every day, there is a new sound being added to this cacophony.

Loud construction sites, apartment renovations by my immediate neighbors who have been drilling nonstop from 8 a.m. till 6 p.m., five days a week for over a month now and frankly it is so loud that they might as well be standing in my kitchen.

And now an RC (remote-controlled) cars race track has been added to the Bao’an Gymnasium plaza that has these small cars running on it all day from 9 a.m. to way past 8 p.m. The race itself is not a problem but now they have added a surround sound-system to it and my living room feels like I am sitting in the front row of an all-day Formula One race.

Aren’t they supposed to get proper clearance from the authorities before adding such a loud system in a residential area? Don’t the authorities care how bad these loud noises are for the mental, physical and emotional health of people being forced to live with it, especially children, the elderly and sick people?

Priyanka Sharma via email