Horn-happy India

Noise pollution is the highest form of pollution in the world and the cities are its cradles. Rapid urbanisation has led to cities expanding beyond what may have been imagined some decades ago and today we are struggling to control noise in the cities as much as air pollution. Continuous 24x7 monitoring by the Central Pollution Control Board is throwing out data at regular intervals to maximise awareness regarding the four well-defined sources of noise pollution in the cities: traffic, construction, loudspeakers and firecrackers. The latest list shows Mumbai retains its position as the world’s noisiest city on the basis of international data, followed by Tokyo, New York, Madrid and Cairo. In India, the “honour list” reads Mumbai, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Delhi and Chennai.

All cities of the world are united by one major form of noise pollution: traffic. In 1900, there were only 8,000 motor vehicles in the US, but by 1950 there were 50 million, of which 40 million were cars. Today’s traffic density is several times higher than that of 1950. Indians, perhaps the most horn-happy in the world, contribute even more handsomely with their honking to the din and bustle. Traffic noise is a constant even as efforts are being made to curb so much else, including cone loudspeakers, which the top courts of the country are deprecating, saying the gods are not deaf. Nor are the gods likely to be impressed by the fireworks that are de rigueur in all religious festivals. Unless conscious efforts are made to bring noise levels below 70 decibels, we are in danger of breaking out into “noise rage”, a very real modern phenomenon.