By Park Si-soo
Staff Reporter
A state commission ruled Tuesday that a builder must compensate a livestock raiser for injury to livestock caused by construction noises.
The National Environmental Dispute Resolution Commission said it ruled the contractor must pay 42 million won to the livestock raiser, identified by his surname ``Park.'' The ruling said that it is clear that the noise caused significant harm to the cattle, resulting in a drop in the quality of the meat.
In the ruling, the commission said ``88 out of his 160 cows showed growth retardation, reproduction disorder, weight loss and falling-off in meat quality following their exposure to the noise.'' The victim submitted clear evidence describing the link between the damage and the noise, it said.
``Park also calculated the exact amount of damage with experts' help. We reflected his documents on the decision of the compensation,'' it added.
The construction site in question is located only 158 meters away from Park's farm. The company has constructed an overpass since 2005.
The constant exposure of the livestock to noise levels of 60 decibels or above could cause health problems, the commission said. The company had installed facilities to stifle noise but they were not effective for noises over 62 and up to 79 decibels, it said.