🔊 The Weight of Sound: Noise Pollution in Dhaka and Our Silent Struggle
Each morning in Dhaka begins not with birdsong, but with a barrage of horns, construction clatter, and the relentless hum of traffic. Noise pollution—often dismissed as mere nuisance—is in fact a profound public health crisis, quietly eroding our well-being, our focus, and even our sense of peace.
📊 The Reality in Numbers
Recent studies reveal that in Dhaka’s busiest zones—Farmgate, Gulshan, Motijheel—the average noise level frequently exceeds 85 decibels, far above the 55 dB threshold deemed safe by the World Health Organization (WHO) for residential areas.
A local survey found:
86% of respondents consider noise pollution a major problem
78% report increased irritability
71% suffer from headaches
43% experience sleep disturbances and reduced concentration
While air pollution in Dhaka is known to reduce human lifespan by an average of 7 years, noise pollution’s long-term effects—though less visible—are no less severe.
🧠 Human Impact: Beyond the Ears
Noise pollution affects not just our hearing, but our entire physiological and psychological ecosystem:
📉 Hearing loss and tinnitus
🫀 Elevated blood pressure and heart disease risk
😵 Increased stress, anxiety, and mental fatigue
💤 Sleep disruption and cognitive decline
🎓 Impaired learning and development in children
One university student shared, “We can’t breathe in peace anymore. Even silence feels like a luxury”—a sentiment that echoes across Dhaka’s millions.
🏗️ Sources of the Noise
🚗 Excessive vehicle horns
🏗️ Construction machinery
📢 Loudspeakers at various events
🔊 Commercial advertising and street announcements
🛠️ Pathways to Change
Solving noise pollution requires a multi-pronged approach:
Strict enforcement of environmental laws
Regulation of unnecessary horns and loudspeakers
Designation of ‘silent zones’ near hospitals and schools
Real-time noise monitoring technologies
Public awareness campaigns and school-level education
Urban planning that integrates acoustic considerations
🌿 A Philosophical Lens
Noise pollution doesn’t just disturb our bodies—it fragments our inner world. In the chaos of urban sound, we lose the beauty of silence, the depth of thought, and the space for introspection. It distances us from ourselves.
To fight noise pollution is to fight for human dignity, mental clarity, and environmental harmony. It is a call to reclaim the city—not just as a place to live, but as a place to listen, reflect, and thrive.
📣 Final Thoughts
Noise pollution is a silent killer. It steals our peace, our health, and our ability to focus. The time to act is now—to raise awareness, to demand accountability, and to restore the soundscape of our city.
Let us make Dhaka a city that listens again.
🖋️ Hakikur Rahman Philosophical storyteller, researcher, and advocate for environmental well-being
