NGT pulls up Delhi Government for noise pollution but we have to discipline ourselves first

The trouble with pollution in Delhi is that we circumscribe everything in terms of the air that we breathe in. Seldom do we talk about other atmospherics that impact our daily existence like water and sound. Till the National Green Tribunal reminds us now and then. And so it has slapped a fine of `5 lakh on the Delhi government for its failure to check noise pollution in the western part of the city despite a compliance order issued four months ago. A quarterly report on the noise pollution in Delhi’s Rajouri Garden found that despite citizens’ crusades and complaints, bars and restaurants in the area were using loudspeakers and DJ systems during weddings and other celebratory functions. Violating time limits, such pleasurable activities were disturbing the lives of residents in a clustered locality, particularly infants and the aged. But given the noise pollution that continues unabated on Diwali nights despite Supreme Court rulings on bursting crackers, little wonder this neighbourhood complaint was not considered serious enough as a concern. Fact is noise pollution is actually as serious as air pollution. Research data by independent decibel survey agencies have shown that Delhi had some of the country’s noisiest roads. And citizens had the maximum amount of hearing loss proportionate to their age. Noise pollution in cities is directly linked to 64 per cent of hearing loss, said one study.

Most traffic junctions here record plus 70 decibels on a regular day, almost 10 over the limit allowed in commercial areas. In fact, ENT specialists have a separate marker as to what constitutes hearing loss here than what it is for the rest of the country. Noise pollution is now linked to many health issues, from irreversible hearing loss, anxiety attacks to hypertension and heart disease. Most importantly, loud honking, construction clatter, industrial hum and the thud of music from boom boxes have an overall impact on a person’s sanity and well-being, the quantum of which cannot be ascertained simply because it is not scalable. Often we train ourselves to be immune to sounds without realising we are upping our tolerance threshold and alertness levels and not simmering down even in a resting state. Data compiled by both the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) have shown that sound levels in neighbourhoods at night too were above recommended levels. Which is why last October, the Delhi police declared 60  stretches of road as “no honking zones.” However, while it is easy to identify violations, it is the curbing mechanism which is difficult and frankly low priority. A fine is just `100, there are very few noise meters and there are more cars on the roads than speed cams to check limits and consequent volumes. We can all blame administrative will and the lack of a disciplinarian mechanism but the biggest control has to come from citizens themselves. If we are conscientious enough to modify our lifestyles and be more sensitive to our surroundings, follow rules willingly and not just because they are imposed on us, decongest routes and can lower our sound requirements since the city is always in the middle of an infrastructural overhaul, we would sleep in peace. It is the silence about our behavioural change that is truly deafening. And no amount of PILs and activism can change that.