The number of people in Barisal city with cardiac and hearing problems visiting doctors has risen sharply in the last decade largely due to noise pollution caused by hydraulic horns, doctors say.
Most vehicles plying the city, including motorcycles, three-wheelers, cars, buses and trucks, honk their horns in Barisal City Corporation area at their whim. Even empty ambulances blare sirens everywhere.
City residents complain that the authorities take no effective steps to contain the use of these illegal horns and look the other way regarding reckless driving and illegal parking. On many roads, vehicles come to a stop to take and drop off passengers at any point.
Such illegal, irresponsible and unjustified acts occur every day, even in the presence of on-duty traffic police and check posts. However, the local administration maintains that it conducts operations regularly to prevent loud noise.
The High Court banned the use of hydraulic horns across the country on November 5, 2017.
Officials say around 100,000 vehicles ply the city and the national highway daily, and it is impossible to monitor these vehicles effectively.
Residents complain that the administration has taken action against users of hydraulic horns occasionally, but they are indifferent to the sale of these illegal horns. Not only humans, high-decibel sounds also scare birds and street animals.
Rafikul Islam, a resident of Alekanda area, said: “The police usually stop motorcycle riders and check their papers, but they don't take any action against other vehicles that cause noise pollution.”
Another hazard for pedestrians and commuters is the biker groups who race down the streets blowing their horns unnecessarily. They create panic in the vicinity, trying to impress people with such acts of “heroism”.
According to the Divisional Office of the Department of Environment (DoE), a 2021 survey found that the level of noise pollution in the city was up to 131 decibels.
“A healthy person can tolerate the sound of 40 to 45 decibels. If the level is 60 decibels, people may become deaf temporarily; if it exceeds 100, they risk becoming completely deaf,” said Dr Mezbah Uddin, head of the nose, ear and throat department at Sher-e-Bangla Medical College and Hospital.
If the noise is 90 decibels, it may cause high blood pressure and injury to the junction of the brain with the ear, causing memory loss and various physical problems.
Professor DrTalukder Mujib, head of the paediatric unit at the hospital, said that children were the most affected by noise pollution. “Children's vocabulary is not the same as that of adults. Hence, loud noises near children are likely to cause deafness and damage their brains,” he added.
Cardiologist Dr Ranjit Kha said noise pollution seriously harms people suffering from heart problems. “It multiplies the risk of heart attack and stroke. The number of patients with such diseases in the hospital.”
Deputy commissioner of Barisal Metropolitan Police (Traffic Division) SM Tanveer Arafat said that the police have been conducting raids against the use of hydraulic horns for the last two months.
Abdul Halim, the DoE divisional director, said the department conducts raids to prevent noise pollution in the city.
“Besides, Barisal General Hospital, Sher-e-Bangla Medical College and Hospital, the deputy commissioner's office, the court and the girls' school areas have been declared silent zones. But the law enforcers should be more active in enforcing the laws,” he observed.