The magnitude of noise pollution in Dhaka is measured at different times by different organizations and the Department of Environment. Researchers of the Society for Assistance to Hearing Impaired Children (SAHIC) at Mohakhali measured the level of noise exposure in Dhaka city few years ago. Different key intersections including the major intercity bus terminals and also some elite areas of Dhaka city were randomly selected to measure the levels of noise pollution by the appropriate Noise Level Meter. The noise levels measured at different parts of Dhaka city varied between 68 and 106 decibels. At some intersections the noise level was above 100 decibels, while at some other thoroughfares 70 to 100 decibels were recorded. The lowest level was 68 decibels, measured in the diplomatic zone, as opposed to the 45-decibel-tolerance level, recommended by WHO. In a seminar organized by Sunder Jiban, Dr. Manash Ranjan Chakraborty, former ENT Specialist of SAHIC, presented the data as mentioned above.

Even city schools and hospitals are not protected from the noisy atmosphere. Most schools and hospitals face acute noise pollution, as signs indicating "silent zone" are seldom seen adjacent to hospitals and educational institutions. And even if there are signs, I wonder who cares to follow them closely. At rush hours, drivers honk desperately to beat the traffic in front of different educational institutions, jamming the roads even more. The results of a survey conducted by the Department of Environment in 20 schools and hospitals of the city at sensitive locations revealed that the noise pollution in those locations was between 67.19 and 75.35 decibels, which is double the permissible level of 26-40 decibels as prescribed by WHO.

Noise pollution is no less hazardous than any other pollution. According to Dr. Manash Ranjan Chakraborty, prolonged exposure to higher noise could cause temporary and permanent mental and physical disorders in human beings. It could also lead to headaches, mental stress, sleeplessness, high blood pressure, cardiac failure, respiratory disorder as well as miscarriage of child-bearing women, low-birth weight for premature birth and attention lapses of students. A survey, conducted by the Work for a Better Bangladesh among 2,500 people of whom 1,000 were students, found 97% students were disturbed by noise pollution and 60-70% experienced difficulty in concentration, headache and aggravation as a result of noise pollution. Out of these 2,500 people, 69% had headache, 68% had aggravation, 49% had bad temper, 42% had problems in hearing, 42% had irregular heartbeats and 39% had trouble sleeping.

The noise pollution can be reduced, creating mass awareness through various programmes such as seminars, symposia, workshops, community mobilization, etc. As drivers of motor vehicles are mostly responsible for creating noise pollution, proper training before they get their license can play a significant role in reducing this pollution. The BRTA should introduce training programmes to sensitize drivers to the insidious nature of noise pollution. Strong political commitment can also reduce the pollution dramatically. However, the most important thing is for the government to promulgate appropriate laws and enforce it firmly through the law-enforcing agencies. An environmental court may expedite the enforcement of laws. Understanding this demand of the time, the government, in consultation with the concerned individuals and organizations, drafted some laws in November 2003 to control noise pollution. They distributed it among the concerned organizations and individuals for their review and suggestions in February 2004. On behalf of Sunder Jiban, I myself also suggested some modifications and sent it to the Department of Environment in March 2004. The Bangladesh Paribesh Andolan (BAPA), having reviewed the laws in a round table discussion, also suggested some modifications. Besides, the Noise Pollution Control Coordination Committee suggested its modifications in March 2004.

While we were waiting for the laws to be promulgated by the government, suddenly, the Minister-in-charge of the Ministry of Environment was changed and since then we have been in dark on the status of the laws.

Although Sunder Jiban and other fellow organizations including BAPA, Work for a Better Bangladesh, The Hunger Project, Hunger Free World and many others, individually or in collaboration with each other, have been putting in a lot of efforts to make people aware of the consequences of noise pollution, the government's effort to promulgate the laws is a must to bring our efforts to fruition.

We came to know from reliable sources that the draft laws are still waiting in the Ministry of Law and Parliamentary Affairs for vetting. As the end of the present government's tenure is imminent, we therefore urge them to take immediate and necessary actions to promulgate the laws before they step down, or else it will be hung up for an indefinite period of time and maybe it will never see the light of day.

Sunder Jiban is the general secretary of Air and Noise Pollution Control Programme (BAPA).