Take action against noise pollution

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THE government decided two years ago that it would make laws to control noise pollution. Accordingly, the draft of an act was prepared that recommended Taka 10,000 as fine and maximum six months of imprisonment for producing noise higher than the permissible limits. But for unknown reasons the act in draft form has not progressed since then. Why this foot-dragging with this act which can be of great value to millions and millions of people who are progressively losing their hearing abilities from the rising noise pollution ?
The Society for Assistance of Hearing Impaired Children (SAHIC) conducted in the recent past a year-long survey at 21 spots to find out the impact of noise pollution on the residents of Dhaka city. The survey result showed that hearing ability of 76.9 per cent of the surveyed people was damaged from continuous noise pollution. A private university and a non-governmental organisation jointly surveyed 20 spots in Dhaka city recently that included residential areas and ones with academic institutions and hospitals where the least noises are desirable. In these areas, sound levels should be within 45 decibels but the survey found average sound level 75 decibels near Oxford International School in Dhanmondi, 86 decibels near Birdem Hospital and 76 decibels near Viqarunnessa Noon School and College. In what should be a purely residential area at Kylanpur, the survey found the average sound level at 80 decibels. The average sound level in other residential areas comes near to this level or even surpasses it in some cases.
Noise pollution not only leads to gradual hearing loss. It also creates other medical conditions such as high blood pressure, palpitation, loss of concentration, headache, irritability, insomnia and other forms of physical and mental sicknesses. Thus, it is high time to take the proposed noise pollution act out of the freezer and adopt and implement it at the fastest. Noise pollution occurs not only on roads from car honking but also from indiscriminate use of loudspeakers by vendors and others, industrial activities in residential areas, etc. All of these other sources of noise pollution must also be well regulated through comprehensive legislation and its enforcement.
Amin Ibrahim
Mohammadpur,
Dhaka