Zannatul Ferdous
Communication and Documentation Officer, HYSAWA
We all know that noise pollution in Dhaka city has already exceeded the tolerance level. People of this city are surrounded with waves of harmful sounds no matter whether they are in or outside their homes. A recent study conducted by the Department of Environment (DoE) found that in many parts of the capital, noise levels were as high as 120-130 decibels — nearly double of the permissible limit. This sort of noise pollution has become a part and parcel of living in Dhaka as there is hardly any practical solution of this major problem. However, can’t we do anything about those forms of noise pollution that are occurring mainly in the residential areas on a frequent basis?
Yes, I am talking about the extravagant celebration of wedding parties and national days, religious preaching (waj mahfil) and political stump speech delivered or played on speakers at an insufferably loud volume till midnight in most of the residential areas in Dhaka. City dweller’s level of suffering from such nuisance goes into another height as soon as winter season arrives. The sad reality is that people are not aware about the negative impacts of excessive sound.
However, this issue has once again come into focus by the death of an elderly man following a scuffle over loud music played on the rooftop of his apartment in Wari area of Dhaka on 19 January 2018. The tragedy could have been easily avoided if the music was played at permissible volume limits. According to the DoE, the acceptable volume limit is 55 decibels for daytime and 45 decibels for night time in residential urban areas.
The study conducted by the DoE suggests that long-term environmental noise above a certain level can have a negative influence on one’s health. These effects can be physical, mental and possibly even disrupt children’s learning. Road traffic and aircraft noise increase the risk of high blood pressure, tachycardia, headache and indigestion, peptic ulcer, and also affects sound sleep. A regular exposure to high levels of noise can damage a person’s sense of hearing. The World Health Organisation (WHO) states that 60 decibels sound can make a person deaf temporarily and 100 decibels can cause complete deafness. Children are also being adversely affected by sound pollution since it stimulates their brains. The findings of the Cross-Sectional German Health Update (GEDA) Study 2012 demonstrate an association between high noise annoyance and impaired mental health in both men and women.
Therefore, it is necessary to formulate laws with regard to specific sound limitation for industries, transports and social programmes to protect people from the harmful effects of noise pollution. People from all sections of the society should also play their due role to reduce the extent of noise pollution. Awareness and level of civic responsibility must be raised and at the same time, vigilance among the law enforcement agencies must also be intensified to sort out the issue.