Noise Pollution A Rising Threat in Metro Cities

In today’s world, pollution has taken over as a common term that raises a lot of concern when it comes to environmental menaces. Pollution in an aggregated sense refers to a phenomenon where ecological balance is disturbed by the changing levels of the natural elements consequent upon external factors. Though noise pollution, unlike land pollution, cannot be seen with the naked eyes, it imparts an equally disturbing and damaging effect on humans, animals, birds and the surroundings as well. With the advancement in technology and science, modern cities have become more dependent on man-made substances like air-conditioning, motor vehicles, factory machines and much more. All these contribute to noise pollution, which has now reached an alarming level. The problem is particularly affecting the metropolitan cities. More than the rural circuits, it is the metropolitan corners where the terror of noise pollution is looming large.

The Sources of Noise Pollution

Any sound that exceeds the tolerable level of 65 decibels is considered to be a noise pollutant. Since most of the industrialization has taken place surrounding the urban areas, the noise generated out of the gigantic machines used in those industrial belts is a major contributor to the overall noise pollution of a city. With excessive people migrating into the urban boundaries in search of better livelihood, the cities are getting flocked by people which in turn generates a howling effect and contributes to the regular noise pollution. The increasing traffic in air, land, and water is also making a massive contribution to noise pollution in urban areas. The same factors namely industrialization, urbanization, and technological advancement that have caused water and air pollution are now playing foul with the noise level as well.

The Effects are Far-Reaching

There are two ways to approach the effects generating out of noise pollution. There are temporary effects as well as permanent damages associated with noise pollution. Regular exposure to intolerable noise might lead to irritation, loss in concentration, poor-quality sleep, anxiety, behavioral disorders, and much more. When a person is exposed to a high level of noise for long, he/she might lose the hearing capacity, permanently leading to deafness. At the workplace, noise can lead to a diminished level of productivity, accuracy, efficiency leading to a fall in business. An abrupt noise in front of hospitals or schools may lead to physical malfunctioning of the ill and the children respectively. With every aspect of life getting affected, noise pollution in urban areas has reached a level where we can consider it as a potent threat to the entire population exposed to it.

A Threat to Life and Liberties

Rights and liberties don’t necessarily refer to the conservation of your own rights and liberties. They rather refer to the maintenance of the same for others as well. When a person makes unnecessary noise, without taking care of the comfort of the fellow-man, liberties and rights become exposed to a potential threat. This way, noise becomes a human pollutant apart from just being an environmental pollutant which is far more deadly in terms of impact. Hence it can be opined that in urban areas noise is becoming a reason for major concern and needs to be checked with immediate effect to maintain the balance between humans and nature.

It’s High Time We Pay Attention!!

A jump of 30 decibels in the noise level in the last 30 years is what demands absolute attention to the measures that can prevent this growth rate in geometric progression. With experts predicting a higher level of growth in noise pollution for the urban contours, it is high time that the human activities harming the ecological balance must be brought under the scope of sustainable development. The metro cities all around the world are in no position to bear any further noise pollution. It is hence inevitable that we pay close attention to the rising problem of noise pollution and look for measures to bring the same under check.

Basic awareness about the world around us is something that is important at this critical time. At J.P International School, Top CBSE Schools in Greater Noida, we aim at building the foundation of the children in a way that they grow more concerned about the nature and the environment. We believe that unless and until humans learn to live in compliance with the environment, we cannot expect to sustain our being in the future. As such, connecting our young generation with the surrounding environment and making them understand the need and the significance of preserving the same is of utmost necessity today. This is the key reason why we, at JPIS, besides organizing plantation activities at school also engage our students in a lot of outdoor activities so that they connect better with mother earth and acquire direct learning from nature. At JP International School, we firmly believe that demons like noise pollution can only be restricted if the future generation grows aware of the dangers associated with it and take necessary measures at every step along the path. This is the only way we can ensure and envision a safer, brighter tomorrow for our upcoming generations.

- JP International School