Maddening noise pollution

Noise-induced hearing loss is one of the most pervasive occupational health problems in the city but usually goes unnoticed because it is gradual, according to an expert. Sound pollution increases blood pressure and enhances the rate of autism among children, affecting their normal development, he said at a recently held seminar. 

It is alarming but should not come as a surprise in a city where practices like blowing the horn out of pique rather than warning someone of danger has become the norm, adding to the higher-than-permissible intensity of sound. 

Bevies of research show that social and behavioural effects of noise exposure are complex, subtle, and indirect, giving rise to aggressiveness, unfriendliness and disengagement—attributes beginning to define the residents of this overcrowded and unplanned city. Noise pollution also impairs performance at school and at work, decreasing motivation and increasing errors.

Considering the impacts on public health, the Noise Pollution Control Guideline 2006 must be strictly followed and unnecessary honking banned and heavily penalised. But laws alone are not enough to combat this new plague, educating people on the adverse effects of sound pollution, for instance, excessive use of mobile phones, is equally important to meet our instinctive need for quiet and peace.