Dr Matiur Rahman & Shishir Reza :
Noise pollution is a man-made controllable environmental problem. We are exposed to noise pollution at home, in the office, on the street and even during leisure activities. The major causes of noise pollution are noise from vehicles horns, factories, construction works, loudspeakers, high volume of mobile ring tone, television, band music, aeroplane and helicopter noise etc.
Noise pollution occurs when loud and unnecessary sound from various sources causes annoyance beyond the tolerance level of human hearing capacity. It is a kind of deadly environmental pollution. The level of this pollution is increasing day by day due to our lack of proper understanding. Many environmentalists have termed the current stage of noise pollution in Bangladesh as ‘noise terrorism’.
According to The Economist’s Intelligence List Dhaka ranks second asan uninhabitable city in the world. Among others, one of the main causes is noise pollution. This pollution is not limited to Dhaka city now, it has reached the other urban city centre too.
Health professionals opined that noise pollution is a major health risk in Bangladesh. They also mentioned that the human sense of hearing can only receive a certain amount of sound. Excessive loud noise has adverse effects on the human body. The effects of high levels of noise in our environment, such as vehicles horns, loudspeakers, aeroplane and helicopter noise, factory noise, etc., can lead to permanent human dementia or any other physical illness.
Due to noise pollution, millions of people in Bangladesh are suffering from several deadly diseases, from deafness to cardiac arrest. Noise pollution causes hearing loss as well as problems in both human health and behaviour. Unnecessary and excessive noise can severely damage a person’s normal physical and mental activity. Noise pollution can cause anxiety, irritability, high blood pressure, tinnitus, hearing loss, sleep disturbances and other harmful and adverse reactions along with some other physical reactions which can lead to memory loss and mental exhaustion.
The National Association of Noise Control in the United States says that noise can cause hypertension, ulcers, heart disease, headaches or nerve problems. Even in an environment of extra noise, a baby’s birth defects can develop. Noise pollution can cause blood pressure, breathing problems and even digestive problems.
According to a study, 20 percent of people across the country are deaf. And out of them, about 30 percent are children. Around 11 percent traffic police have hearing problems. According to another report, 71 per cent of the people in Dhaka city suffer from mental problems like depression and anxiety due to noise pollution. There is no substitute of awareness as well as goodwill to deal with such problems.
Noise pollution is called a silent killer. There are many sources of noise pollution in Dhaka city causing threat to public health. The rules regarding noise pollution in car horns, construction work, use of microphones, factories are not being obeyed. But the rules for controlling noise pollution in Bangladesh are detailed in which area, at what time of day, what kind of noise level will be. And if it is not complied with, there is also a provision of punishment. But we do not obey the rules properly.
In this context, the following measures can be taken to control noise pollution. Noise from buses, trains, ships, factories, and loudspeakers at social events should be maintained at or below the indicated level; prohibit the use of loudspeakers and microphones in the election campaign; modern equipment must be used in the vehicle to limit noise pollution; factories should be relocated away from the residential area; stop playing loudspeaker; vehicles horns should be stopped near schools, colleges and educational institutions; mobile, radio-TV cannot be run too loudly at home, etc.
The government has already enacted laws to prevent any further pollution, including noise pollution. But due to a lack of awareness, we are constantly polluting the noise. To prevent noise pollution, it is necessary to eliminate all the causes of noise pollution. We believe that raising public awareness and concerted efforts of government and non-government organizations will help bring noise pollution under control. Changing behavioural patterns can also reduce noise pollution.
The current level of noise pollution is very alarming. Ithas now become athreat to human health. But because of our unconsciousness, we often say that it is not possible to solve it. But this problem is man-made. It is possible to control this problem only if we work together to build up mass awareness. For this, we have to be respectful to each other and above all to the law.
(Dr Matiur Rahman is Research Consultant, Human Development Research Centre, Dhaka and Shishir Reza is Environment Analyst & Associate Member, Bangladesh Economic Association).
