NOISE pollution is the one environmental menace that has not yet been seriously addressed. Laws have been framed, penalties prescribed but the city of Dhaka continues to be unbearably noisy which makes it look more chaotic and nervous than it is.
The biggest intruders are perhaps the honking vehicles desperately claiming the right of passage. Firstly there is misuse of horns and then the horn is of the forbidden nerve-racking kind.
There are diverse kinds of violators like the roadside seller of lottery tickets with his tempting get-rich-quick formulary relayed at a high pitch, and other varieties of salesmen competing for attention, the mountebank ready with his array of remedies for every debility and malady, the audio shops which blast music for the benefit, or more likely to the nuisance, of the entire neighbourhood.
Buses and trucks are still using the banned hydraulic horn. This eardrum-splitting alerter had been banned decades ago but the ban turned out to be merely theoretical.
The different violators of the law operate subtly which makes detection and action against them difficult. But there is no subtlety or secrecy about the use of hydraulic horn and the traffic rule is being violated openly for everyone to hear.
The noise polluters do not even respect hospitals, schools and other educational institutions, residential quarters and the declared silent zones.
Although some steps were taken to contain air pollution and water pollution, noise pollution goes on undeterred. The reason may be lack of awareness on the part of citizens and lack of dutifulness on the part of law enforcers and related government agencies, or both.
The long-term effects of exposure to loud noises have often been highlighted by experts. It can affect the nervous system, hearing and induce heart ailment.
But it is not only a question of health alone but also of civic nuisance.
According to the Environment Conservation Rules, 1997, the noise limits for residential area should be 40 decibel, for commercial and residential areas 50 decibel and 70 decibel respectively but a World health Organisation-sponsored survey conducted five years ago showed higher sound levels. In a belated move the director-general of the Department of Environment has made a plea to all the ministries to take steps to reduce noise pollution in the city, as reported in yesterday’s New Age.
news collection from- http://www.newagebd.com/2008/sep/26/edit.html
Picture –emmygee.blogspot.com
Leave Your Comments