Dhaka’s noise pollution levels, despite its immediate and long-term effects, is not an issue that is discussed with the severity and frequency it deserves.
While the recent “minute of silence” observed in the capital, as a way to raise awareness on the issue, the ministry of environment also reiterated its commitment to tackling this pressing issue that is seemingly getting worse and worse with each passing year.
Noise pollution has become something of an accepted reality in a city that hosts more than 23 million people, but it is not necessarily a high population that contributes to noise levels but rather a lack of enforced laws pertaining to factors such as car horns and unregulated construction.
A government survey, conducted some years ago, had revealed that sound levels in every divisional city of the country have surpassed their permitted limits, often doubling or even tripling them. This is primarily due to a lack of awareness of noise rules, which leads to people both contributing to noise pollution and those who suffer from it being unaware of how to lodge complaints about it.
When it comes to the implementation of sound rules, the survey showed that only 3.6% have seen the laws being implemented in Dhaka, with Chittagong at 3.1%, Sylhet at 8.3%, Khulna at 25.2% -- the city with the highest rate of implemented sound control rules -- Barisal at 1.6%, Rangpur at 3.6%, Rajshahi at 5.3%, and Mymensingh at 3.6%.
Furthermore, according to the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules 2006, acceptable sound levels are 55 decibels for daytime -- 6am to 9pm -- and 45 decibels for night -- 9pm to 6am -- in residential areas, with other areas having their own dedicated timings and decibel levels.
Why are these rules being left unenforced?
In order to transform Dhaka into the kind of modern metropolis that the administration often expresses its desire for, we need to tackle the fundamental issues first.
