RAJSHAHI, Dec 13, 2024 (BSS) - Concerted efforts of all the government, non-
government and volunteer organisations concerned can be the crucial means of
mitigating noise pollution as it's being judged one of the silent killers at
present.
 
Forging social resistance has become an urgent need to fight against noise
pollution to save people from being infected with various physical and mental
disorders.
 
Noise pollution is the main reason behind 30 major diseases in the human body
and around five percent of the population is affected physically and mentally
by the pollution.
 
Academics and experts came up with the importance while addressing a workshop
titled "Physical Risks due to Noise Pollution and Way Forward to Check the
Pollution" here on Thursday.
 
On behalf of its "Integrated and Partnership Project on Noise Pollution
Control" project, the Department of Environment (DoE) organised the workshop
at the lecture gallery of the Department of Geography and Environmental
Sciences at Rajshahi University (RU).

Chairman of the Department Professor Latifur Rahman and Chief Medical Officer
of RU Medical Centre Dr Mafruha Siddiqua addressed the workshop as the chief
and special guests respectively with Prof Mijanur Rahman in the chair.

During his keynote presentation, Assistant Director of DoE Kabir Hossain
discussed about the origin of noise pollution, extent of pollution and law
and the role of DoE to mitigate the pollution.
 
He also gave an overview of the project along with its aims, objectives and
implementation strategy.
 
Under the project, students, transport drivers, labourers, factory and
construction workers, journalists, business people, imams, teachers, and
representatives of non-governmental organisations are being trained to play
active roles in these activities.
 
Dr Mafruha Siddiqua talked about the demerits of noise pollution to public
health, adding noise pollution has reached an unbearable level in the
country, exposing an adverse effect on human health and the environment.
 
Noise pollution causes multifarious physical and mental disorders of people.
Utmost emphasis should be given to creating mass-awareness with full-length
enforcement of the existing laws to protect public health from the adverse
effects of sound pollution, she mentioned.
 
Mentioning that excessive traffic noise disrupts people's lives, she said:
"Now, it's the time to forge social resistance against noise pollution for a
sustainable socio-economic development. We should build safe havens for the
future generations."
 
Prof Latifur Rahman said the government prioritised controlling noise
pollution and mobile courts are being conducted for proper enforcement of the
law.
 
He told the meeting that initiatives have been taken to include the subject
in the curriculum to make children sound-aware from childhood.
 
"It will be possible to control the noise pollution of the country if we get
the cooperation of all concerned along with the government's initiative to
prevent noise pollution," he added.
 
In his remarks, Prof Mijanur Rahman said many people suffer a lot due to
sound pollution. So, all the authorities and individuals concerned should
come forward and work together to reduce sound pollution.
 
The existing laws related to controlling noise pollution should be enforced
and the drivers should drive their vehicles abiding by the law to check sound
pollution for the greater interest of public health.