There is no escape from the grip of sound pollution. According to the World Health Organization's guidelines, the safe noise level in residential areas is 55 dB (decibels).
According to a 2024 study by the Global Cities Institute, a global research organization, the pollution level in commercial and traffic-prone areas is more than 85 dB. Areas like hospitals and educational institutions are also responsible for surviving noise pollution.
In addition to vehicle horns, the loud sound of microphones and sound systems used in various social events goes on until late at night.
Experts said that restoring order on the roads will help stopping noise pollution.” If we ban honking without fixing problem, it won’t work.
There are laws to prevent noise pollution. There are also provisions for jail and fines. There is no specific information available on how much it is enforced, the experts continued.
Ikramul Islam, who works for a multinational company and a Moghbazar resident, said: “Recently, I called 999 at 2 am. The police stopped the loud music playing on the roof of the house next door, but it started again after half an hour. It went on until 4 am.”
Mehedi Zaman, who lives in the capital's Notunbazar, said that recently, loud music was played on the roof of a house until 3 am. Despite repeated complaints to the police, no remedy was found.
According to a study by the Global Cities Institute, one-fourth of the city's people are hearing impaired due to the type of noise pollution occurring in Dhaka. If this trend continues, 45% of the people in urban areas will have hearing impairment by 2035. Accordingly, about 15 million people will lose their hearing by 2045.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Additional Commissioner (Traffic) Md Sarwar said: “Those who are causing noise pollution are being brought under the law. A campaign is being run in this regard. Many ambulances are honking their horns even when there are no passengers. They are being warned. We are trying to control vehicle-based noise pollution.”
“We are telling drivers to honk as less as they can. We are warning them not to honk in prohibited areas. We are asking the authorities to put up road signs in areas where honking is prohibited. Action will be taken against those who honk unnecessarily in the DMP mobile court,” he continued.
Translated by Afsar Munna
