City is losing its hearing

As noise level hits a new high, so does hearing loss and societal apathy, says Sanghamitra Bhowmik

Rohit Venkatraman is a typical thirty-something Mumbaikar: he lives in Mulund, takes the local train to work every day, and loves dancing to loud music. And, like a growing number of Mumbaikars, Venkatraman is partially deaf.

Noise levels in the city have hit a new high with lakhs of cars blasting down our roads, furious construction work, an abundance of electrical appliances, and unflagging local trains and airplanes. Daily noise levels average at 75-90 decibels (dB), which goes up to 85-95dB at major traffic junctions and 90-110dB at construction sites. Ironic for a city that is supposed to be a silence zone, with a daytime noise limit of 50dB and a night-time limit of 40dB. By contrast, the average ambient noise level in Shanghai is 70 dB, London is 78.5dB, Tokyo is 70dB and New York is 84dB.

“Constant exposure to high-decibel sounds can affect a person’s hearing in the long run,” says ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist Uday Vora. With the result that more Mumbaikars are experiencing noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). Vora adds that his clinic has seen a 15 per cent rise in NIHL cases in the last five years. According to a 1995 World Health Assembly report, over 120 million people suffering from NIHL worldwide.

Early symptoms include simple speech comprehension problems and difficulty in hearing peripheral sounds. In later stages, patients experience a constant ringing in the ear and giddiness. “Nerve endings in the inner ear get damaged. The condition is irreversible and progressive, and no amount of medication and surgery can cure it,” says ENT surgeon Dr HK Parikh.

Sheela Pandya, 32, lives in Chembur, close to the Eastern Express Highway, and travels for work to Ballard Pier. Traffic noise, blaring music in auto rickshaws, and construction work in a neighbouring complex have all led to Pandya’s “moderate hearing loss”. She says, “The doctor has warned me that the situation can worsen, and that I may need a hearing aid soon.”

“The onset of hearing loss used to be in the age group of 60-65 years, but people in their 30s and 40s are now experiencing hearing loss,” says ear, nose and throat specialist Dr Chris D’Souza. “Excessive TV viewing, loud music at bars, mobile phones, walkmans and iPods add to it.”

Noise pollution also affects the nervous system, leads to hypertension, cardiovascular problems and sleep disorders, and impairs sexual performance. According to a 1996 study by New York’s Cornell University, children from noisy locations had poorer reading skills than those from quiet areas; the former apparently found it harder to recognise and understand speech.

Unlike cities in the US and UK, which have designated zones and noise control acts, Mumbai’s industrial, residential, commercial and silence zones often overlap, making implementation of noise guidelines difficult. US cities also use noise barriers — solid obstructions built between highways and residential neighbourhoods — to deflect incoming noise. Schools in the UK have even redesigned the acoustics of classrooms to reduce ambient noise.

In Mumbai, however, any change has been the result of citizen effort: the 1986 Environment Protection Act setting standards for noise control; the passing of Noise Pollution (Control and Regulation) Rules 2000; and the 2005 Supreme Court order banning loudspeakers and firecrackers after 10pm. “But they are not enough,” says Sumaira Abdulali, founder of Awaaz Foundation, which deals with noise pollution. “There are laws in place to deal with horns and honking, but the traffic police don’t implement them.”

The traffic police disagree. “We regularly check the horns used by private vehicles and auto rickshaws, and book offenders, but we can’t do much about people honking unnecessarily. They should realise what a nuisance it is,” says HM Baijal, deputy commissioner of police, traffic. Maharashtra Pollution Control Board member DB Boralkar agrees to this lack of effort but says: “We plan certain traffic junctions to get a better understanding of noise levels.”

But with few stringent laws and little implementation, RTI activist Sudhir Badami says, “The answer lies with citizens themselves. We generate noise, so we must combat the problem.”