Noise pollution in Bangladesh

Yesterday, we were heading to the office and found ourselves being stuck in traffic for 20 minutes, and as is common in our country, vehicle drivers were honking in a hope to get past the congestion.

Part of the reason we honk ceaselessly and carelessly is that we do not realise or bother to find out (particularly in developing countries like ours) how much harm we cause each other by making such loud sounds in our daily lives.

Indeed, many of us are unaware that this is noise pollution or that most people who are constantly subjected to sounds louder than 85 decibels will suffer permanent hearing damage to some extent, whereas a simple car horn has a sound level of around 107-109 decibels and truck (lorry) and bus horn has a sound level of around 117-118 decibels. Many of us don't know that there is a law in our country that makes noise pollution a punishable offence.    
How bad is the situation in Bangladesh?

When asked how frequently he sees patients with noise pollution-related problems, a doctorresponded, "It is a very common problem in Bangladesh, and the number of patients I see on a daily basis who are affected by noise pollution is only increasing. Around 30 to 40 percent of the patients I see on a daily basis have one or more noise pollution-related issues. They mostly come from industrial areas, congested traffic zones, highways, and roadside communities."

As shown in a Department of Environment study conducted in 2017, approximately 11.7 percent of people in Bangladesh have lost their hearing because of noise pollution. The highest noise level in the major cities were found to be as following: Dhaka (132 decibels), Sylhet (131 decibels), Khulna (132 decibels), Barishal (131 decibels), Rangpur (130 decibels), Rajshahi (133 decibels), Mymensingh (131 decibels), and Chattogram (133 decibels).

As per a recent survey, noise pollution in Dhaka increased by a shocking 10% on average over the last 2 months of 2020. Another study on traffic police provided a more frightening scenario- the ability to hear of approximately 12 percent of the traffic police was impaired, 15.5 percent had trouble hearing on the phone, 19 percent were unable to hear programmes on television without high volume, without speaking in an unusually loud tone, 34 percent of them could not even hear each other properly, and 8 percent are living with the risk of losing their ability to hear permanently.

What kind of harm can noise pollution cause?

When we asked this question to Dr. EmdadulHoque, he answered, "Prolonged exposure to noise can have a number of negative health consequences, including annoyance, stress, anxiety attacks, tinnitus, sleep disturbance, negative effects on the cardiovascular and metabolic systems, and cognitive impairment in both adults and children."

Is our law aimed at controlling noise pollution good enough and being implemented properly in practice?

The Noise Pollution (Control) Rules 2006 was adopted with a goal to lay down guidelines on reducing noise pollution in Bangladesh.
It established guidelines for the maximum amount of noise that can be permitted in specific areas at different times of the day.
For silent areas, noise levels are to be kept at a limit of 50 decibels during day time to a lower 40 decibels at night. The rules also dictate the usage of horns are strictly prohibited in silent areas.
For residential areas, the permissible noise level is 55 decibels for daytime and 45 decibels during night time respectively.

In industrial areas, the highest levels of noise are permissible under the rules- 75 decibels during day time and 70 decibels during the night time.

For social events, sports tournaments, music concerts, social gatherings in open air spaces, the sound levels can be exceeded beyond the prescribed minimum, but only by obtaining permission 3 working days prior to the event from the concerned authorities, it can also be obtained just one day before the event.
The rules also state that no construction machinery used to make building materials is permitted to be used in a radius of 500 metres of any residential abode. Furthermore, they are not permitted to be used between 7 pm and 7 am unless express permission has been obtained from the relevant authorities.
However, there are exceptions applicable to religious events and rites, and important national events and announcements made by government organizations.

If someone does not comply with the noise levels permitted within the Act, it shall be a punishable offence validating a term of imprisonment of 1 month and/or a fine up to 5,000 BDT. For further non-compliance, they can be imprisoned up to 6 months and/or fined up to a sum of 10,000 BDT.

In this regard, an advocate and a lecturer of law at University of Asia Pacific, Barrister FaranMdAaraf rightly said, "This punishment is gravely inadequate considering the physical and psychological impact noise pollution has on human beings. You cannot compel people to obey the law if the penalty is set so painfully low."

He continued, "If comparison is to be drawn with our neighbouring country India, despite having similar permissible noise levels in most cases, violation of these rules can result in imprisonment upto five years and fine uptoRs 100,000 there (approximately 113,712 BDT)."
He also added that it is also important to note that due to a lack of enforcement in practice, many people in our country are unaware that this law exists, and even those who are aware do not bother to follow these.
The relevant authorities must pay attention and take a firm stance against violators, because having strict laws in place and ensuring that they are properly followed can undoubtedly play an important role in controlling noise pollution.
Shafqat Aziz is anLLB graduate from BPP University and a Civil-Commercial Mediator, ADR-ODR international.Arafat Reza is a journalist based in Dhaka, Bangladesh.