NOISE pollution affects our lives in an awful manner. We do not consider it harmful even though it affects our daily life. Imagine working night shifts, reaching home in the morning and trying to get some sleep, only to be disturbed by the continuous honking of school vans and public buses.

On roads you can hear people honking their cars and motorbikes unnecessarily without considering that they are passing by schools and hospitals.

There was a time when there used to be traffic signs prohibiting the use of horns in such areas but nowadays even those signs have disappeared. Unfit roads, vehicles, and motorbikes without silencers are a few of the major contributors of noise pollution.

I would also like to bring to notice the excessive use of loudspeakers for parties and gatherings.

Even though all of us are distressed by this, it’s the elderly and children who are affected the most. Since this problem is affecting all of us, we must educate the people about noise pollution and its effects on life. Authorities should also consider evolving and implementing laws to reduce or minimise noise pollution.

Syed Ghayas Kaleem

Karachi

Published in Dawn October 26th, 2016