Sagar Biswas :
The deadline of using illegal hydraulic horns by the vehicles on Dhaka streets ends today [Sunday]. The High Court on Wednesday issued directives to the authorities concerned to seize vehicles for using hydraulic horns after August 27.
Hydraulic horns create a much louder sound than the usual electric horns. But Traffic Department of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police [DMP] has failed to create awareness among the drivers and vehicle owners over the issue for the reasons best known to them.
Recently, the Traffic West Division of the DMP has taken some initiatives by hanging caution notices at a few points in its jurisdictions, whereas no such initiative was seen in other parts of the city till the date.
“Some notice boards have been hanged where it is written – use of hydraulic
horns is a punishable offence. The DMP has enhanced its awareness programme after the HC issued directives in this regard,” Joint Commissioner of Traffic [South] Mofiz Uddin Ahmed said on Saturday.
Joint Commissioner of DMP Traffic [North] Abdur Razzak has said, they regularly conduct drives against the hydraulic horns as part of their routine work. “If any vehicle uses hydraulic horn after the deadline, we’ll take action against the vehicle as per directives of the HC,” he said.
In a bid to curb noise pollution in the city, Dhaka Metropolitan Police had destroyed around 10,000 hydraulic horns seized by the traffic department in the last one year mainly from buses and trucks. But in reality, the quantity was too poor.
Though the HC at the same time had ordered the government to take measures to stop imports and confiscate devices available in the local market within next seven days, the authorities are showing dilly-dally attitude till the date. It is also alleged that existing law is not implemented due to lack of supervision by the authorities concerned.
Against this backdrop, DMP Commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia had urged drivers to stop using hydraulic horns as its use leaves a detrimental effect on patients and children.
“Though use of illegal hydraulic horn is a punishable offence, its punishment was too little Tk 200 only as fine. I have also requested the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority not to renew fitness certificates of the vehicles still using hydraulic horns,” the Commissioner said.
Experts said that such noise pollution created from hydraulic horns is affecting the hearing power of thousands of children every day. “The sound of hydraulic horn affects people more than any other unwanted noises. Though there are laws to prevent sound pollution, people do not know about them because of lack of concern,” Environment expert Professor Dr M A Bashar of Dhaka University said.
Hydraulic horn is one of the immeasurable medium of traffic noise as well as sound pollution that causes serious problems especially for the children, said Dr Sakil Sarwar, an ENT [ear, nose and throat] expert.
“This hydraulic horn especially causes serious damage to children. If a child below three years of age hears a horn producing 100 decibel of noise from a close range, he or she might lose his or her hearing power”, he cautioned.
According to the World Health Organisation [WHO], generally 60 dB sounds can make a man deaf temporarily and 100 dB sounds can cause complete deafness. The noise of any busy street in Dhaka has been estimated at 60 to 80 dB, with the sound of hydraulic horns measuring 95 dB.
In fact, the most obvious consequence of traffic noise is hearing loss. This type of horns and sirens can hurt the eardrums of children and long term traffic noise causes irreparable health damages to them, according to the medical experts.
The deadline of using illegal hydraulic horns by the vehicles on Dhaka streets ends today [Sunday]. The High Court on Wednesday issued directives to the authorities concerned to seize vehicles for using hydraulic horns after August 27.
Hydraulic horns create a much louder sound than the usual electric horns. But Traffic Department of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police [DMP] has failed to create awareness among the drivers and vehicle owners over the issue for the reasons best known to them.
Recently, the Traffic West Division of the DMP has taken some initiatives by hanging caution notices at a few points in its jurisdictions, whereas no such initiative was seen in other parts of the city till the date.
“Some notice boards have been hanged where it is written – use of hydraulic
horns is a punishable offence. The DMP has enhanced its awareness programme after the HC issued directives in this regard,” Joint Commissioner of Traffic [South] Mofiz Uddin Ahmed said on Saturday.
Joint Commissioner of DMP Traffic [North] Abdur Razzak has said, they regularly conduct drives against the hydraulic horns as part of their routine work. “If any vehicle uses hydraulic horn after the deadline, we’ll take action against the vehicle as per directives of the HC,” he said.
In a bid to curb noise pollution in the city, Dhaka Metropolitan Police had destroyed around 10,000 hydraulic horns seized by the traffic department in the last one year mainly from buses and trucks. But in reality, the quantity was too poor.
Though the HC at the same time had ordered the government to take measures to stop imports and confiscate devices available in the local market within next seven days, the authorities are showing dilly-dally attitude till the date. It is also alleged that existing law is not implemented due to lack of supervision by the authorities concerned.
Against this backdrop, DMP Commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia had urged drivers to stop using hydraulic horns as its use leaves a detrimental effect on patients and children.
“Though use of illegal hydraulic horn is a punishable offence, its punishment was too little Tk 200 only as fine. I have also requested the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority not to renew fitness certificates of the vehicles still using hydraulic horns,” the Commissioner said.
Experts said that such noise pollution created from hydraulic horns is affecting the hearing power of thousands of children every day. “The sound of hydraulic horn affects people more than any other unwanted noises. Though there are laws to prevent sound pollution, people do not know about them because of lack of concern,” Environment expert Professor Dr M A Bashar of Dhaka University said.
Hydraulic horn is one of the immeasurable medium of traffic noise as well as sound pollution that causes serious problems especially for the children, said Dr Sakil Sarwar, an ENT [ear, nose and throat] expert.
“This hydraulic horn especially causes serious damage to children. If a child below three years of age hears a horn producing 100 decibel of noise from a close range, he or she might lose his or her hearing power”, he cautioned.
According to the World Health Organisation [WHO], generally 60 dB sounds can make a man deaf temporarily and 100 dB sounds can cause complete deafness. The noise of any busy street in Dhaka has been estimated at 60 to 80 dB, with the sound of hydraulic horns measuring 95 dB.
In fact, the most obvious consequence of traffic noise is hearing loss. This type of horns and sirens can hurt the eardrums of children and long term traffic noise causes irreparable health damages to them, according to the medical experts.
