Chennoise

May 11, 2016

It is official and, so, we may soon need sound reducing earplugs as part of our
daily wear. According to the latest statistics on noise pollution released by th
e Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Chennai is one of the noisiest places i
n India. The good news is we rank 5th, which means there are four greater offend
ers ahead of us, these being Mumbai, Lucknow, Hyderabad and New Delhi. It is of c
ourse a moot point as to whether we ought to take satisfaction in not topping th
e list.
As part of its survey conducted between 2011 and 2014, the CPCB installed five m
onitors in the city. These were at two commercial zones (T Nagar and Perambur), o
ne silent zone (the Institute of Ophthalmology, Egmore), one industrial estate (
Guindy) and one residential area (Triplicane). It was found that T Nagar, Perambur
and Triplicane exceeded every possible norm and in Egmore the noise levels were
comparable to a commercial area at all times of the day and night. Presumably th
e industrial area was the best off!
All this will not be surprising to anyone who has lived in this city. Most autor
ickshaws prefer to drive around with the mufflers removed from the vehicle in th
e belief that such an act improves fuel efficiency. All places of worship use hi
gh decibel speakers to broadcast calls for prayers, chanting of hymns and choral
singing. All of these can be pleasant in their own way if they were not at ear
splitting levels throughout the day. As for political meetings, these are a cut
above the law and believe in using the most high decibel equipment to broadcast
party propaganda by way of speeches, and more irritatingly, songs. The roads are
yet another place where noise levels are at their highest. Cars, buses, two- an
d three-wheelers honk all the time, and the horns used are the ones that are usu
ally banned by law. Indian drivers, and those in Chennai are no exception, cannot
tolerate anyone else being on the roads when they (the drivers) are on the move
. They therefore believe in hooting at vehicles, pedestrians and animals. We als
o have a majority who appear to think that pressing the horn is the best way to
get signal lights to change and vehicles ahead on the road to move. There appear
s to be no awareness that continuous usage of the hooter can eventually damage t
he eardrums of the drivers.
The scenario at many commercial establishments and industries is much worse. The
construction sector is one of the worst offenders, utilising high noise drillin
g equipment at all times of the day. Workers operating such equipment rarely hav
e protective earplugs. Moreover, construction, though not allowed after 11 pm, g
oes on in most places throughout the night. There are, we are sure, many world c
lass industrial establishments in the city that adhere to noise level norms but
these are far outweighed by the ones that do not pay heed to such requirements.
The lack of awareness among the workers in these places is also quite appalling.
After all, it is in their interests that such regulations are imposed.
The way the CPCB and its State variant operate cannot be termed as pro-active ei
ther. There are no inspection squads that can stop violations. Instead, it is up
to the suffering public to register complaints and then expect action to be tak
en. Unfortunately for most residents of this city, they would have to give up on
their day-to-day activities if they have to complain about violations, which ar
e pretty much commonplace in every aspect of life. And so we suffer in silence m
idst noise unabated.