Our indiscriminate use of natural resources and indulgences have led to rapid degradation of the environment and destruction of eco-balance. We have poisoned the air, polluted our surroundings, turned water into slime, created mountains of garbage and waste. Smoke belching vehicles run on our roads making deafening noise. The realisation of the dangerous mess we are making came to us belatedly. But it is better late than never. The 20th century has been the century of pollution.
There are many faces and dimensions of pollutions. And noise pollution is one of them. Noises of various kinds keep drumming our ears. This assault is more dangerous because we can’t shut our ears like we do in case of eyes, nostrils or mouth. Its ill effects were perceived quite late when the problem became too earful to ignore. The awareness about noise pollution is still not sufficient and its harm to mind and health not yet extensively studied and researched.
So, little substantial has been done about it. The only positive step to check it being the ban imposed on loud speakers at night by an order of Supreme Court. This single step has resulted in peace returning to the lives of citizens at least at night. It was a great relief. Before that night long blaring loud speakers had made the night life of the people a living nightmare. The people at ground level are, even today ignorant of the dangers of noise pollution. Even whatever is known, by now, about noise pollution is disturbing. A great pollutant it is and is all around us all the time hammering our senses.
There is traffic noise, hawker noise, domestic noise, radio-TV-music noise, construction noise, industrial noise, loud speaker noise, the noise of marriage and political processions and rallies, the noise of barking dogs, aircrafts and all the other noises affect us. Yet we go along ignoring them or surrendering to them even though they disturb our sleep, peace and security of life.
Noise pollution is as dangerous as water pollution and air pollution. Continued exposure to noise can cause serious mental and physical disorders. The noise is more severe near through-fares and industries. The attack of noise is relentless as we can not shut our ears. It has made us insensitive to finer, softer and subtler sounds which carry tender sentiments and aesthetic senses.
The decibel units are used to measure the loudness of sounds. Taking zero as total quiet, the lowest audible sound is one on decibel scale. The sounds upto 70 decibels are acceptable but higher than that level begins to make a sound irritable. Upto 90 decibel level harmful and higher levels than that can cause permanent deafness.
The life in cities and towns has became quite uncomfortable and stressful due to noise pollution. The main polluters are traffic, sounds of machines of factories, music systems, loud-speakers, trains, hawkers, religious cacophony and aeroplanes. The peace, rest and sound sleep have become alien things. The noise is carried through the night even by machines, traffic, moving trains, sirens, zooming planes and religious night long singing over loudspeakers. The lack of peace, rest and sleep affects our working in terms of output and quality.
We may not notice it but sounds induce deep psychological changes in our minds and body. The disorder leads to other maladies and whole life gets affected. Some of the maladies discovered to have direct relationship to noise are choked flow of blood in smaller vessels, dilation of eyepupils, rigidity of muscles, indigestion, nervousness, anxiety, irritation and touchiness. One may become unfit for the jobs that require accuracy, concentration and speed. The shrills noises lead to gradual loss of hearing which may end up in total deafness.
The future holds no promise as urbanisation and industrialisation goes on more and more feverish pitch. More noise is in the making. The noise pollution is swallowing even our rural areas as cities go on expanding.
The life has become a cauldron of noises and its ill effects are reflecting in our quarrelsome behaviour, irrational attitudes and acts, senseless crimes and traffic accidents due to insensitiveness. Urbanites face serious danger of deafness, total or partial. On this subject more public awareness and appropriate laws to check the noise pollution are needed. New researches are also required to find ways of reducing noise at public and individual level.
