Noise pollution
August 2024
Making a noise about noise pollution
Savitha Rao from Mumbai always found loud noises difficult to handle. To know more about this issue, she started doing research and was appalled by what she discovered. She found that noise pollution was a serious problem having an adverse impact on the health of human beings, birds, animals, and marine life, and that every age group—from infants to senior citizens—is impacted by it.
Hearing damage is permanent and cumulative, and a failure to address it puts a burden on individuals, families, and the health care system.
Savitha felt that India needs to take noise pollution seriously as the stress caused by noise could aggravate as well as complicate the existing health problems faced by many and even delay or limit recovery from them.
Since she wanted to make a difference in this area, Savitha published a book and founded an NGO, Noise in Our Nation which was a part of India Positive Citizen Initiative in 2022. She realised that most people are aware that they should not smoke or consume alcohol or greasy food regularly. And that if they do so, it violates the doctor’s guidance. But, since the ill effects of noise pollution don’t feature in a doctor-patient conversation, people tend to think of it as an inconvenience and irritant, and not a health hazard.
Savitha regularly conducts workshops in schools and colleges, knowing that they have an
- By Jamuna Rangachari
Savitha Rao
important role to play in sensitising children and youth about noise and in laying the foundation for a generation of citizens who value quiet. She has also reached out to the Indian Medical Association (IMA) regarding noise pollution and the impact it has on health. Savitha states that the noise in our nation is not limited to the roads but extends to most spaces, such as malls, stores, restaurants, and gyms. Today, it is impossible to find a quiet restaurant.
Noise pollution is a symptom of a society that has accepted the idea that ‘louder is better’ when, actually, quietude is what everyone needs for a healthy life. Savitha avers that each one of us can, with consistent action, make a difference to the decibel levels in our homes and outdoors.