Environmental Impact Assessment Study for <strong>400</strong> <strong>kV</strong> OHL SS Stip – Macedonian-Serbian Border3.7 Noise in the Environment of the AreaEmmission of noise in the environment is related to the development of the technology,industry and transport. According to the Law on Noise Protection in the Environment (2007)the noise in the environment is the noise produced by undesired or harmful external soundcreated by human activities, imposed in the surrounding and causes anxiety and unpleasantfeelings. Here, we can also include the noise produced by means of transport - road, railwayand air transport and the noise from industrial activities.The anxiety caused by noise means anxiety due to emission of a sound which is frequentand/or long-lasting, created at a certain time and place that prevents or has impact on theregular activities and functions, concentration, rest and sleep of people. Anxiety caused bynoise is defined by the level of anxiety of population caused by noise measured on theterrain or by making inspection.The upper values of basic indicators of noise in the environment are defined in theRegulation on Limit Values of Noise Level (2008). According to the degree of noiseprotection, the border values for basic noise indicators in the environment caused by varioussources may not be higher than the following:Area differentiated according toLevel of noise expressed in dBthe level of noise protectionLd Le LnFirst degree area 50 50 40Second degree area 55 55 45Third degree area 60 60 55Fourth degree area 70 70 60o Ld – day (period from 07,00 to 19,00 h)o Le – evening (period from 19,00 to 23,00 h)o Ln – night (period from 23,00 to 07.00 h)Areas according to the degree of noise protection are defined in the Regulation on Locationsof Measuring Stations and Measuring Spots (2008):ooooArea with first (I) degree of nosie protection is the area intended for tourism and leisureactivities, area near hospital institutions and area of national parks and naturalreserves.Area with second (II) degree of noise protection is the area intended for stay, i.e.residential area, areas near educational facilities, facilities for social welfare andaccommodation of children and older people, and facilities for primary health care,playgrounds and public parks, grean areas, recreation areas and local parks.Area with third (III) degree of noise protection is the area where the noise is permitted,i.e. trade – business – residential areas, which are intended both for living and working,(mixed area), areas for agricultural activities, public centres with trade, catering,adminstrative and other facilities.Area with fourth (IV) degree of noise protection is the area where noise is permitted:areas that have no residential buildings, intended for industrial and craftsman activities,production activities, transport activities, storage and servicing, communal activites thatproduce noise.79
Environmental Impact Assessment Study for <strong>400</strong> <strong>kV</strong> OHL SS Stip – Macedonian-Serbian BorderThe Decision for determing the cases and conditions that may be considered as disturbingnoise (2009) identifies the activities during which noise is produced and exceeds the limitvalues of the noise, thus disturbing the peace of citizens.Due to the lack of developed national monitoring netowrork, there are no data concerning thelevels of noise in the environment along the route of the power line. Consequently, there areno planning documents for noise management, i.e. a strategic map and an action plan.Due to the nature of the area and the forms of the land use along the transmission line, theareas in its vicinity, according to the level of noise protection can be classified in the areas ofII and III degree of protection. According to the distance from the main noise emitters, it canbe concluded that the area around the route of the transmission line in terms of the noiselevel, is in the permitted limits, without continuous presence of noise produced byanthropogenic sources and activities.80