My noisy city makes me sick

Kamal Baruah

(kamal.baruah@yahoo.com)

Davudis is a YouTuber based in the Czech Republic who can’t help wondering how vehicles are beeping pap-pap while visiting our Doul Govinda Mandir on the foothills of Chandra Bharati hill at Rajaduar, North Guwahati. Surely he had noticed that most of the vehicles sped by honking their horns. There were no pedestrians or even other vehicles on the road, and he saw all the honking vehicles passing by.

Commuters are often distracted by a commotion across the bustling streets of India. The other day, while I was returning home, there was a blaring sound of sirens along with so many VIP cars in the midst of a rainstorm. All that crazy traffic circled around and honked. Traffic was blocked on key roads as police failed to streamline the flow of traffic. And there was an ambulance that kept blowing sirens for a passage. This is our city’s ear-splitting crack of thunder all day and all night. The sound of horns is causing great annoyance in our day-to-day lives. There is a need now to put in an effort to suppress noise.

Our ears are more sensitive to loud sounds. The effects of such noise can damage hearing, leading to hearing loss. A sound’s loudness is measured in decibels (dB). Sounds anything above 85 dB are harmful, where heavy traffic and noisy restaurants make noise levels between 80 and 89 dB. Besides sports crowds, rock concerts, and loud symphonies, where it goes 120–129 dB, there is gunshot and sirens at 100 feet that make 140 dB, which is extremely dangerous to us.

People are regularly exposed to harmful noise because of their jobs, such as construction and factory workers, firefighters, drivers, and traffic police. Military personnel often face this urban commotions by non-bothering intinnituss make not only our city noise but create sysoundsc changes toconcerts. ronment too. while firing arms. They suffer from Tinnitus symptoms. Even musicians face heavy crunch sound at musical concert. Such urban commotions by non-bothering individuals make not only our city noise but create systemic changes to our environment too.

The bustle of a big city makes people sick. We forget that noise pollution is still pollution. Ironically, hearing damage is irreparable. The days of birdsong, intelligible human speech, the gentle rustling of leaves, and the crispy highs of brushes on jazz cymbals are over. People living in cities are regularly exposed to noise. An hour-long commute at such sound levels could cause significant hearing loss over time. Even a noise level of 60 decibels could raise blood pressure and heart rate and cause stress, loss of concentration, and sleep disturbance. According to the WHO, the human pain threshold is 120 decibels.

However, the permissible limits of noise in residential areas are 55 dB and 45 dB during daytime and night, respectively, as are 75–70 dB and 65–55 dB for industrial and commercial areas, respectively. Creating noise is considered a public nuisance under Section 290 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860. Further, if there is noise after 10 p.m., one may contact the local police helpline.

Now, loud horns (pressure horns) are to be a thing of the past in India. The government is taking a significant step to reduce noise pollution on its roads by enforcing a 50-decibel limit for vehicle horns. Yet unnecessary honking is indeed a common issue on Indian roads. Many motorists installed modified silencers on their sports bikes and violated the rules. It contributes significantly to noise pollution and can be quite annoying for everyone around. Aizawl has set an example for how to deal with this crisis. Nobody honks or jumps in their lane in Aizawl. So be with Gangtok City. Horn is not OK, please. Honking without reason is illegal, so we might as well stop it.

I have to wonder whether sirens, in many instances, are worth it. Sirens often confuse people, and frequently it’s hard to tell what direction the sound is coming from, causing a driver stress and disorientation, doubtless leading to more accidents. However, it is essential to differentiate between the distinct sounds of a police siren and an ambulance siren. Understanding their differences can help pedestrians and motorists respond appropriately, ensuring the smooth flow of traffic and timely assistance in emergency situations.

Police sirens typically produce a combination of wailing and alternating high-low sounds. Ambulance sirens generally produce a continuous, high-pitched wailing sound. So, the next time you hear a siren, you’ll have the ability to differentiate between the type of emergency vehicle in action, facilitating a prompt and responsible reaction from everyone involved. That raised a key question. While urban noise may seem inevitable and unavoidable, city dwellers continue to suffer from their noisy city.