Sound pollution: What is the solution?

You return home after a hard day’s work yearning for peace of mind and a good night’s rest. But just as you unwind preparing for a bit of shut eye the cassette player of your neighbour starts blaring shattering the peace.

It is barely an hour since you have put your child into bed,but the sound of a speeding vehicle screeches to a halt in front of your house startling the little one out of it’s slumber.

With that crucial examination only a week away, you are cramming each day and night, when sounds from a loudspeakers at a musical show, or a nearby temple, church or mosque breaks your concentration and blocks out all thought process.

Instances such as these are just part and parcel of everyday life for most of us where the heavy din and cacophony are only natural phenomenon in a milieu of rapid development and modernisation where human activity is not confined only to day times.

Although incessant noises of this nature tantamount to public nuisance under our law, it is surprising how few people bother to object to and complain about these acts of sound pollution, despite the constant irritation they cause.

This could probably be due to some tacit acceptance among people that sound pollution has to be tolerated to a certain degree for the sake of development and modernisation.

Yet, one must remember that most developed countries have stringent laws to deal with sound pollution, according to which even tooting horns are not permitted except to avoid an accident.

The Central Environmental Authority (CEA) recently disclosed that they are drafting a laws for curbing community noise pollution, a growing health hazard.

Apart from including occasional noises within thxe ambit of ‘sound pollution’, the most significant and controversial aspect of the new regulations is the prohibition of all public address through loudspeakers from 10 pm to 6 am except where prior permission is obtained from the District Court.

As with most issues involving religion, the regulations have been received with misgivings by many, including religious leaders, political parties and certain segments of the public.

It is argued that they have the effect of infringing the freedom of conscience since loudspeakers are often used to summon people for various religious practices like pirith chanting, midnight masses and prayers at mosques.

Although the regulations do not constitute a blanket prohibition, it is contended that obtaining special permission imposes an unwarranted constraint on practising one’s faith.

On the other hand, the prohibition of moving sources of sound is likely to adversely affect the livelihood of persons such as lottery sellers and ice-cream vendors.

Yet, must should one be made to forgo his or her sleep and peace of mind, at the risk of ailments such as hyper-tension, heart disease, headache and memory loss in the name of entertainment or religion? Besides, whether the use of loudspeakers or amplifiers is essential to follow one’s religion is also a pertinent question.

Have your say on the proposed regulations on sound pollution on Daily News Debate. Send in your contributions (in 750-1,000 words) to ‘Daily News Debate’, Daily News, Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited, PO Box 1217, Colombo, or via e-mail to [email protected] before October 8, 2007.

Conflict resolution techniques are required

D. H. Sathischandra

PUBLIC DEBATE: Hitherto, sound pollution is the least concerned aspect of environmental pollution in this country. Although there have been complaints about sound pollution by individuals and organisations there have been no organised protests due to the sensitive nature of sound pollution from sources.

Sound pollution has now become a subject of public debate with the proposed legislation by the Central Environmental Authority to restrict the use of loudspeakers from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., by making prior permission from the district courts mandatory for their use.

The focus of the proposed legislation seems to be on sound pollution from loudspeakers. There is sound pollution from various other sources with or without loudspeakers.

Sound pollution is rampant in our society. In fact it seems to have become a part of our culture. There is sound pollution from lottery sellers, sales stalls, advertising stalls, cassette players in buses and record bars, musical shows, schools, places of religious worship, public protests, rallies and demonstrations from various segments of society.

The frequency of some of these sources of sound pollution varies. Sound pollution from some sources occur daily. Some sound pollution is justified on grounds of sales promotion, entertainment and business.

Some people justify sound pollution from their sources on grounds of democracy, freedom, human rights, freedom of religious worship, freedom of speech and expression and so forth although values such as democracy, freedom and human rights are hardly ingrained in their minds as part of their value system.

The harmful effects of sound on the people are both direct and indirect. The direct effects include the impacts on the physical and mental health of the people. Ailments and impacts identified by health authorities include hypertension, heart disease gradual loss of hearing, irritability, aggression, fatigue, headache etc.

These harmful physical and mental effects have economic and social costs. Treatment of some of these ailments is costly. Hearing aids, for example, are very costly. In addition, these ailments affect the productivity of people at work. Sleepless nights caused by excessive sound could result in accidents.

Sound could also affect the concentration and studies of students particularly during exam times. Conditions such as irritability, fatigue and aggression could lead to unexpected clashes and conflicts and at times lead to racial and religious clashes which will affect unity in diversity and social cohesion. Musical shows at times end in clashes due to drunkenness and irritations.

These harmful effects of sound pollution are serious enough to call for remedial measures. Both rules, regulations and legal measures and voluntary action by people themselves seem to be necessary to find a solution. In fact the latter option seems to be much more important.

All institutions, organisations, establishments and individuals responsible for sound pollution should explore the possibility of eliminating or minimising sound pollution through their own voluntary efforts.

If they take the decision to observe the 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. rule voluntarily it could avoid heart burns and ill-feelings. If this is not possible they could consider ways and means of regulating the sound of loudspeakers to serve only the gathering at a place of worship or a musical show.

It is a question of finding a middle way avoiding extremes. Legal measures to restrict sound pollution from places of religious worship are opposed as a denial of human rights. All these rights flow from the concepts of free will and liberalism.

These rights, however, need to be enjoyed with responsibility. For each group to enjoy its rights other groups need to enjoy their rights with responsibility. On this basis harmful effects of sound pollution could be minimised by voluntary restraints.

Religious followers also need to ponder over the relative importance of religious rituals and ceremonies and the practise of the fundamental principles of their religion. Involvement in such rituals and ceremonies is not synonymous with religious spirituality.

It is through practise of religious principles that one can develop his spirituality and also help to overcome the pressing needs of human beings in our society.

Making sacrifices in terms of adjusting and modifying some practices in the sphere of rituals and ceremonies would in no way “violate the freedom of worship and the right to practice one’s religion,” as claimed. On the other hand if such voluntary restraints contribute to peace and harmony in a multi-ethnic, multi-religious society, the country will benefit.

Similarly, other sound polluters identified could ponder over the problem and explore alternative ways of making their presence felt without causing noise pollution. Human ingenuity can find many creative and innovative ways of doing a particular task.

A record bar need not create sound pollution to make their presence felt. Creative and innovative front design, signboards, neon signs and many other ways could be more effective. The lottery sellers could find similar effective ways of sales promotion. The National Lottery Board could provide them help using its resources.

Similar adjustments could be made when conducting protests, rallies and demonstrations. In UK for instance protests and demonstrations are conducted in assigned locations without disrupting public life. What the protestors have to convey is displayed through placards and banners. As responsible citizens they refrain from disruptive actions.

Finally, we need to adopt and practice conflict resolution techniques and tools proved effective elsewhere. They include compromise, give and take, trade-offs and ‘creative cooperation’. The principle of ‘creative cooperation’ could lead to “developing solutions to problems that are better than either party’s original notion.”

Ban public address system

Dr. M.S. Jaldeen

Noise: I am in total agreement with your opinion that “our ancestors were able to practice their religion with no loudspeakers or amplifiers.” I have been a silent sufferer by noise pollution.

Close to where I live (an area of Wattala) there is one

Buddhist temple, a church, about two mosques and a school all of which are guilty of the offence of sound pollution. I dare not protest although I often curse in silence.

The temple starts its own broadcast at 5 am and continues one full hour loud as ever. My home is about 500 meters away but even if the doors and windows are closed the sound cannot be drowned.

On Saturdays, the usual morning transmission is followed in the evening commencing from 6 pm and thereafter the pooja continues till about 8 pm. On Poya days the 5 to 6 am rendition is followed up till about 11.30 to noon and again in the evening, a duplication of the programme as on a Saturday.

And very often the sermons on any of the radio stations are re-broadcast, blaring on the PA. (Public address).

The church finishes Mass and there are devotional songs sung, full blast of course.

Mercifully, this is only after 5.30 a.m. and up to about 6 p.m. daily. But on Sundays the Mass is also broadcast on the PA system but thanks to the sound of traffic it is not so jarring.

The mosques are equally loud when the several of them start either simultaneously or one after the other.

This, five times a day lasting about 1 to 2 minutes each and every day. Now the school. At about 7 am Jayamangala gatha is broadcast in full steam for about 10 minutes to a quarter of an hour.

This type of sound pollution is not confined to my area alone. I have very often travelled down to Colombo early in the morning when I have to board a train or bus to go outstation.

Every temple from Wattala to Colombo engages in this practice, starting from Wattala (Telenga patha Junction), then Peliyagoda junction, cross the bridge just before the Grandpass (Ingurukade) junction and then at the Ingurukada junction and thereafter at Grandpass Road and so on and on.

And close to my office (which is behind the Superior Courts Complex) is a temple that chimes the hour (of course over the PA and as loud as possible) by a one-minute chant.

I am not there early in the morning or late in the evening or on a Poya day to vouch for the fact that other forms of blaring is taking place over individual headphones, which can be provided at extra cost. Yet the travelling public would have no control of the music that would be doled out.

Hopefully let this not be an excuse to jack up bus fares. My suggestion would be a complete ban on the use of PA systems in all religious houses whatever the denomination and in all public transport vehicles.

A limited use up to certain decibels would not work because it cannot be monitored.

As suggested if at all the use of PA system is necessary let the interested party obtain the permission of the District Courts.

Noise, noise, noise - it can kill

Durand Appuhamy

HUMAN MORALITY: A study by the World Health Organization (WHO) published in the New Scientist magazine forcefully draws the attention of all authorities to the fact that excess environmental noise is a major cause of human mortality.

This research studied the links between noise and health in many European countries, and compared the death rates in households with high levels of exposure to noise to those in quiet areas.

The researchers arrived at the revealing conclusion that 3% of heart disease deaths in Europe could have been caused by excess noise.

A conservative extrapolation of this to the world at large would mean nearly two to three lakhs of deaths per year were caused by noise pollution. In Sri Lanka deaths caused by noise pollution could be very high as we do have very high levels of noise pollution with virtually no control over noise levels.

The medical fraternity has known for a long time that noise raises stress, and stress is known to be a strong causative factor of increased heart disease and stroke risk. Thus noise pollution is today a public health problem on par with smoking and junk food. This requires prompt Government intervention.

In Sri Lanka we are drowning in a sea of annoying unwanted and unnecessary noise, from traffic and the aggressive horns of the busses, from noise generated by unruly neighbours, from unending roadworks, from the all pervasive public address systems (PA) used by all and sundry, from the private music boxes and MP3 playing mobile phones leaking unwanted music from the silly headphones to assault the privacy of others and from the inane music blared into the ears of bus passengers and the public.

There are also Radio Announcers who demand their listeners “to jack up the volume”. Much of this ghastly din is avoidable.

It really is aggression forcing others to accept the aggressor’s way of life. It is no fun to have loud music as it is hell for others.

I congratulate the Minister for Environment for having got to the stage of drafting laws against noise pollution. I hope he makes it clear that what he is after is the abatement of noise levels.

Thus it is possible for one to use PA system with the fingers tightly on the volume switch. It is the volume that needs control together with the fact we humans need a peaceful night to sleep and this is their Human Right. There is no Human Right to play loud music, or make any other noise throughout the night. The well-being of all is the first cannon of all religions.

Let us stop degrading our religions to the level of the lottery seller by the abusive use of PA systems. Finally a law alone will not be sufficient unless there are robust provisions to enforce the law.

Ultimately this will be the litmus test of this proposed law against noise pollution.

Sound Pollution - take it in good spirit

K.E.de Abrew

LIMITATIONS: Using loudspeakers for religious activities such as pirith chanting, peraheras, midnight masses at churches, prayers at mosques, recitations at kovils, and musical shows are indisputably held occasionally and limited to locations.

It is difficult for a sane mind to treat these activities as a nuisance as such activities are limited to certain hours and places. These services tend to give a pleasing rendering to mind and ears when accepted with a good heart. So is the medical opinion.

Anyway this cannot be a lullaby to certain individuals who opt to take time rolling on the bed for selfish planning and ultimately fall a prey to heart.

Attempting to derive innocuous pleasure from acceptable sources indeed is conducive for good health. So is my opinion.

Noise Pollution - a considerable hazard

ISSUE: Today, we are talking about various human rights issues. Noise pollution is one of the worst human rights violations and a health hazard that the general public have to deal with in Sri Lanka.

Regular use of irritable and unhealthy noise by use of loud speakers should not be allowed at any time of the day. Use of loud speakers for prayers by Mosques, temples, churches or other religious places are not permitted in many other countries.

And, millions of people live in those countries still enjoy the freedom to practice their religions without the use of loud speakers for prayers. Similarly that should be the same in Sri Lanka to avoid loud noise by using loud speakers while praying or otherwise that creates a nuisance to others.

Noise pollution is also one of the main issues concerning health and a public nuisance that need to be addressed and action to be taken to outlaw using of such devices.

Noise pollution is a health hazard similar or worst than passive smoking. Passive smoking could be avoided by moving away from a smoker, or by leaving the smoked filled area.

But, only choice to avoid daily occurrence of noise pollution from loud speakers is to move out from your place of living for good and to reside elsewhere. This is violation of fundamental rights of citizens to live freely from intimidation and harassments. Children at study, aged or sick, and others who need rest are disturbed by the loud

speakers noise used for praying. Noise from loud speakers used for praying by the Mosque starts early morning and follow down day and to night. This creates limitation to decide the time that one would want to practice own faith, or sometimes need for meditation for health or religious purposes.

That may be Buddhist, Hindu, Islam or Christian place of worship and there is no reason to use loud speakers for prayers and disturb the residents living around the area.

These organizations have a moral obligation to respect every human being of their freedom and right to live without harassment. Buddha, Allah or Jesus would never condone using of loud speakers blasting ears and creating an irritable environment to those who live close to these religious places. Religious practice and believes should not cause a nuisance or a hazard to others.

Loud Speaker noise from any source that pollutes the environment is a considerable hazard and that should not be allowed at any time of the day or night.

A Resident from Kirillapona