Feb 2002 Edition
Managing Environmental Noise in India
(This article was sent to us by a resident of New
Delhi who has been suffering from noise-related ailments for many years, and
wished our readers to become more aware of the dangers of long-term exposure
to unwanted industrial and urban noise.)
Decibel Assault - Noise Pollution in Indian Cities
Although recently publicized research undertaken by the medical community
points to serious physiological and psychological damage caused by excess
environmental noise in Indian towns and cities, consciousness on this issue
has yet to penetrate sufficiently amongst significant sections of the populace.
The WHO suggests that noise can affect human health and well-being in a number of ways, including annoyance reaction, sleep disturbance, interference with communication, performance effects, effects on social behavior and hearing loss. Noise can cause annoyance and frustration as a result of interference, interruption and distraction. Activity disturbance is regarded as an important indicator of the community impact of noise. (Noted by the Australian Environment Council 1988).)
The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) of Australia cites research into the effects of noise on human health indicating a variety of health effects. People experiencing high noise levels differ from those with less noise exposure in terms of: increased number of headaches, greater susceptibility to minor accidents, increased reliance on sedatives and sleeping pills and increased mental hospital admission rates
Exposure to noise has also been associated with a range of possible physical effects including: colds, changes in blood pressure, other cardiovascular changes, increased general medical practice attendance, problems with the digestive system and general fatigue. The Australian EPA also suggets that there is fairly consistent evidence that prolonged exposure to noise levels at or above 80 dB(A) can cause deafness. The amount of deafness depends upon the degree of exposure. Hearing problems such as Tinnitis are also associated with sustained exposure to high levels of environmental noise.
Although these problems are also known to Indian medical
practitioners in the field, the extent to which this problem affects ordinary
Indians has not been fully fathomed. Any traveller in India sensitive to
noise will probably attest to the difficulties in finding quiet accommodation
that is also conveniently located and affordable. If it isn't the incessant
howling and barking of stray dogs, it might be the television set in the next
room that will be blasting loud music or intense melodramatic dialogues well
into the wee hours of the night.
Businesses think nothing of employing noisy gadgets and machines well past
sunset, and with most cities and towns lacking adequate zoning laws that
might provide meaningful separation of commercial or industrial areas from
residential neighbourhoods, hazards from unwanted noise are almost unavoidable
for most of the citizenry. Even when zoning guidelines exist, implementation
is spotty, and marred by rampant corruption and administrative indifference.
Particularly menacing is the noise pollution that emanates from construction
activities that continue throughout the day and well into the night. In
Delhi, due to the banning of truck traffic during the day, much unloading
of construction equipment and related raw materials takes place throughout
the night, and since all kinds of wholesale markets are located adjacent
to residential colonies, there is no
escape from the crashes and thuds that accompany the manual unloading of
bricks, timber, steel and other building materials that are necessary at construction
sites. Frequent power outages have made the use of non-insulated generators
(as opposed to invertors) ubiquitous. These can be particularly annoying
and especially unsettling at night.
To make matters worse, ordinary citizens (particularly in Punjab and the
Northern Plains) compound the problem with their penchant for raucous wedding
celebrations complete with marching bands that weave through city streets
blasting away pop tunes all through the night. The practice of bursting
fire-crackers on festivals and other holidays is also common as is the tendency
to amplify all manner of religious celebrations at odd hours of the night.
Although the trend towards the loudspeaker "jagran" began with some Sikh
communities during the Khalistan years, Hindu, Jain and Muslim communities
have now adopted this tortuous custom with a vengeance. In doing so, they
have all revealed an appalling lack of concern of the right of the general
population to a good night's sleep. Whereas the Muezzin in the mosque will
use the loudspeaker only for a limited time to signify the start of prayers,
all-night sessions are not at all unusual in periodic Hindu or Jain religious
gatherings. In some Punjab Gurudwaras, the use of loudspeakers is a daily
occurrence, and in some towns, miked Sangeet sessions can start at 3 AM in
the morning.
Recent Supreme Court rulings have acknowledged the gravity of the problem,
but noise prevention statutes do not yet offer provisions for hefty fines
or other serious punishment, even for chronic and repeated offenders. As it
is, law-enforcement agencies are often reluctant to pursue noise-prevention
statutes because of cultural, religious or other identification with the violators.
But even when police officers are diligent and sincere in their efforts to
act against citizen complaints regarding noise violations, the penalties
are too small to prevent such violations from recurring. Unless police-officers
are mandated to collect substantial fines, or make on-the-spot arrests of
unrepentant violators, hapless citizens bombarded by high-decibel assaults
are unlikely to find relief through the existing statutes.
For elderly patients suffering from heart disease (or other serious or
chronic ailments), or students preparing for exams, or for any other citizen
with sensitive ears, exposure to such continuous loud noise, especially
when it leads to chronic sleep-deprivation or physical/emotional tension
can be extremely traumatic. But as research undertaken in Europe, Australia
and the US shows quite decisively, even those who may seem indifferent to
environmental noise may develop physiological symptoms that may in the
long run affect their overall health and well-being. This aspect needs to
be particularly emphasized, and consciousness on this issue needs to be
raised across all sections of the Indian population.
Although a number of PILs (Public Interest Litigations)
have been filed by concerned citizens and lawyers, there has not been enough
attention and support from the mainstream media, educators, community health
providers and other influential public figures. Politicians have not been
particularly unhelpful, preferring to pander to obscurantist religious forces,
or cater to selfish commercial or private interests. Print and television
media especially need to do more in raising awareness concerning the growing
menace of noise pollution, and the general insensitivity to this growing health
hazard.
As India's towns and cities become more densely packed, the problem of
unwanted noise is likely to increase both during the day and at night. While
recent pronouncements by the Supreme Court are an important victory for
noise-control activists, it is but a very small step forward. Much more
needs to be done if India's laws and implementation are to match what has
been achieved in the EU and Australia in recent years.
For instance, recent EU directives requires all construction and other
equipment used out of doors to meet more stringent noise-emission guidelines.
Provisions for controlling vehicular noise have also been in place. Laws
restricting noise from public or private functions and recreational or cultural
activities at night are much better enforced, and there are no exceptions
for religious gatherings.
It is high time that the Indian people and Indian law enforcement and legislative authorities also recognize the gravity of this problem, and begin to pass and enforce laws that ameliorate this growing menace of the modern industrial age.
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