We were reminded of the dangerous effect of urban living on our health after heavy smog shrouded large areas of Punjab last year. In a country that has barely started to take air pollution seriously, raising concerns over the high levels of noise pollution in our cities may – literally – fall on deaf ears. A recent report based on data collected from 200,000 people in cities around the world indicates that our chances of going deaf vary based on the city we live in. The factor driving this is the level of noise pollution in each of these cities. Residents of high-noise cities such as Guangzhou, New Delhi, Cairo and Istanbul show the most hearing loss among people. Cities with lower levels of noise pollution show the lowest declines in hearing. According to the list, most of the low-noise cities are located in Europe while most of the high-noise ones are, unsurprisingly, located in the developing world. However, tourist filled first world cities such as Barcelona and Paris also rank high on the list.
The data has pointed out the danger of unregulated noise levels in big cities. Noise is one of the most ignored aspects of city life – and usually the least regulated. There is a need for more research into the issue but there is enough evidence to take noise pollution seriously. People are rarely encouraged to get their hearing tested. Moreover, there is little enforcement of regulatory standards if we are lucky to have them even drafted at all. The World Health Organisation has estimated that unaddressed hearing loss costs around $750 billion. Noise pollution is a silent epidemic that requires serious attention. Our approach to dealing with it fails to address the main causes. Most attempts to curb noise pollution in Pakistan have focused on rickshaws, instead of taking a holistic approach that would involve reducing cars and adding natural sound barriers such as trees. Environmental protection agencies are also not treating the issue as a priority. Noise-making industries and cars continue to frequent our living spaces. On average, the noise level in a number of cities has been recorded as between 70db and 90db, both above the safe limit. The cost to our health is unmistakable.