Noice pollution exists everywhere around us. It is the product of
human interaction with the material world. Ranging from vehicluar
noise to industrial noise to domestic noise (usually caused by
usage of Multimedia like TV, Games with unregulated volume levels)
can leave a catastrophic impact on human as well as animal life
thriving in an ideal urban surrounding. Apart from the domestic
occurances of noise pollution, publicly, noise is generated
from vehicular congestion on roads (the sounds produced by the
some badly maintained engines of heavy vehicles to repetative
honking from various vehicles all the same time).
The human tolarable range to noise is anywhere between 0 -
85 decibles. Anything above this can cause various physiological
and birth related problems among infants. Children thriving on
streets that are bustling with constant human activity experience
trauma, organ damage and some other specific adverse effects.
A Peek Into the widespread concern of Noise Pollution in today’s world.
UNEP’S (United Nations Environment Programme) take on noise pollution across the globe.
The use of heavy machinery in industries play a major role in
contributing to the already existing noise in an urban city.
Lack of maintenance of these machinery, negligence of workers
to perform a periodic check are some of the specifics that lead
to noise pollution.
To be more specific of the negative effects of noise,
I can list downsome of the serious biological issues occuring
in human beings.This, to a far extent includes physical and
mental effects.
The adverse effects of noise on public health are
manifold and are a growing global concern. They cover a broad
spectrum of outcomes, ranging from mild and temporary distress
to severe and chronic physical impairment.
Night-time noise disturbs sleep and affects well-being the
following day. Estimates suggest that in Europe 22 million
and 6.5 million people suffer from chronic noise annoyance
and sleep disturbance, respectively.
The elderly, pregnant woman and shift workers are among those
at risk of noise-induced sleep disturbance.
Systematic reviews from WHO (The World Health Organization)
The health outcomes include annoyance; cardiovascular and metabolic effects; cognitive impairment; effects on sleep; hearing impairment and tinnitus; adverse birth outcomes; and quality of life, mental health and well-being. The noise sources considered in these reviews include road traffic, railways, aircraft, wind turbines, and leisure activities such as attending sporting or concert events, listening to music through personal devices, and other recreational pastimes
Understanding WHO's human exposure thresholds.
Decibels (dB) are the units of measure for
indicating the intensity or loudness of a sound that help
predict thresholds that affect human life. Physically, proximity
to very loud abrupt sounds, such as a gunshot over 140 dB, could
rupture the ear’s tympanic membrane, causing immediate hearing
loss.
Listening to music with earphones at the maximum volume –
ranging between 90 and 100 dB at the eardrum – could start
to cause hearing damage after
only 15 minutes per day.
Regular exposure to over 85 dB for an 8-hour day or longer can cause
permanent hearing damage. Long-term exposures, even at relatively
lower noise levels that are common in urban areas, can also damage
both physical and mental health.
These are time-averaged noise indicators for the relevant time
period, expressed in dB and monitored at the receiving end on the
most exposed side of a building.
Forbes India Report
"Noise Pollution: When will the government wake up?"
In March 2022, newly-appointed Mumbai Police
Commissioner Sanjay Pandey invited complaints on his own Whatsapp
number. Among the first things he discovered was the serious impact
of noise pollution on people. Within days of taking office, at his
very first weekly Facebook live chat, he announced construction would
not be permitted at night and on Sundays.
In Mumbai, many schools and colleges are placed next to construction
sites and other noise sources. In the last two years during Covid-19
lockdowns and afterwards, ‘work from home’ has become routine and
some classes continue to be held online.
In 2018, a complaint from filmmaker Ashwin Nagpal
told me of “round-the-clock noise pollution which was impacting my
sleep, health and ability to work”. I recorded up to 103.4 decibels.
On orders of the Bombay High Court, the police verified that decibel
levels were excessive at the Metro-3 construction site and the
government assured the court that noise would be restricted.
Three years later, in December 2021, Ashwin Nagpal tweeted to the
Mumbai Police: “Loud Metro3 drilling machine been on from 2 am
continuously at Churchgate. This is in violation of the Supreme
Court order. Don’t citizens have the fundamental right to sleep
in peace?”
Noise pollution has been described as the new
second-hand smoke. “The world’s cities must take on the cacophony of
noise pollution” says an oped by UNEP Executive Director Inger Anderson
in March 2022. “As cities become more crowded, their soundscapes
become a global public health menace.”
Ear-shattering noise levels at construction sites continue to be the
norm all over the city. Mumbai aspires to world-class infrastructure
and our construction drive is meant to fulfill that dream. Yet, our
building techniques are anything but world-class.
