At least 9.6 per cent of people in the country suffer from hearing disabilities due to severe noise pollution, say experts. According to them, the entire country, including the capital city of Dhaka, is being subjected to uncontrolled noise pollution well beyond acceptable limits.
A recent survey by the Department of Environment (DoE) shows that decibel levels at Bangla Motor, Farm Gate and Moghbazar areas exceed the permissible limit of 45–60 decibel and regularly reach 110–130 decibel.
The experts say if the present decibel level in Dhaka persists, 50 per cent of city dwellers will lose their hearing power, so much so that even 30 decibel sound would not be audible to them in the near future. The percentage of hearing disabilities is going to affect children as they will become inattentive to studies and suffer from mental abnormalities.
Poribesh Bachao Andolan (POBA) yesterday organised a roundtable titled ‘Continuous increase in noise pollution: impact and action’ at its Kalabagan office in the city. POBA general secretary Abdus Sobhan presented a keynote paper on noise pollution, with POBA chairman Abu Naser Khan in the chair.
Stamford University's environmental science departmental head Prof. Ahmad Quamruzzaman Majumder, Tofail Ahmed, Nishat Mahmud, Nagorik Odhikar Sangrakhan Forum general secretary Toyeb Ali, Green Force coordinator Mehedi Akhter and other green activists also spoke at the roundtable.
Terming the sound pollution as a serious problem, the speakers said it was affecting the next generation, both physically and mentally.
Frequent Honking, including fog horns used by vehicles, music systems, stone-crushing machines, construction work, brick chip manufacturing machines, concrete mixers, iron or aluminium doors, tile cutters, industrial motors and other types of machines for construction were contributing to the pollution, they noted. No one seemed to be bothered about its harmful impact on people, the experts lamented.
“Sound pollution in the city is greater than in rural areas. Such pollution is also created by vacuum cleaners, food blenders and grinders. Any kind of sound is hazardous if it goes beyond an acceptable limit,” said Abdus Sobhan, who is also a former additional director general of DoE.
Referring to a study report of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Sobhan said: “One-third of the people of the country are now suffering from some hearing disabilities. Of the total population, 9.6 per cent people in Bangladesh are suffering from hearing loss.”
He urged the government to strictly apply relevant laws to control sound pollution across the country.
According to the POBA survey,a noise
level of 83.3–104.4 decibel persists in
the city’s silent zones during daytime, 92.2–97.8 decibel in residential areas,
and 94.3–108.9 decibel in commercial areas. The level of noise was found to be 95.8–96.7 decibel in Dhaka University.
“Noise pollution is very harmful for cardiac patients and pregnant women. Besides, it also affects children’s brains. A sudden peculiar noise increases blood pressure in the human body,” Prof. Ahmad Quamruzzaman Majumder said.
Quoting a WHO paper, Majumder said that the noise level of 60 decibel could make a person temporarily deaf, but 100 decibel could cause permanent hearing loss.
The experts expressed their worries about errant drivers, who do not heed anti-honking instructions on roadside boards near two major hospitals—the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) and the Bangladesh Institute of Research and Rehabilitation in Diabetics and Metabolic Disorder (BIRDEM).
This stretch of the road also houses the Ibrahim Cardiac Hospital. Patients and doctors face severe inconvenience because of the constant honking, even though the police have declared the intersection a noise-free zone, posting a red notice in bold type at the crossing, covering parts of the Maulana Bhashani Road.
Constant honking damages the hearing ability of people on the road and those living in roadside houses, said one of the POBA officials who conducted the survey.
It also reduces a person’s life span, he added, quoting a recent WHO study, which says that exposure to noise pollution leads to hypertension and other related problems and cut life expectancy.