Tuesday January 31, 2017
Kabul (BNA) Noise pollution has appeared as a new challenge in Kabul with a number of people reporting health related problems like hearing loss, hyper tension, cardiovascular diseases due to this menace that goes unchecked.
In fact, noise pollution is a dangerous as missiles and drones flying in the air. Mohammad Edris Tokhi, head of Kabul municipality’s health section told that unfortunately, recently, noise pollution has been concerning, however, the Kabul municipality has prevented using loudspeakers alongside the roads by cassette, TV or computer sellers. The Kabul municipality has always made effort to collect the loudspeakers used by shopkeepers or restaurants, he further said. He added that such incident cannot be prevented unless urban culture is improved. Likewise, any one elopes the law—a move that has caused increasing noise pollution in the city, he went on to say. The main sources of noise pollution in Kabul are vehicular traffic, industrial activities, construction work, airports, factories, wedding halls etc.
Farid Ahmad, a shopkeeper in Kabul, was recently diagnosed with partial noise-induced hearing loss. He blames it on the alarming level of noise pollution in the city. “I wake up in the morning and rush to my shop, and it takes me half an hour to reach there, which is excruciating given the level of irksome noise and honking of vehicular traffic,” he added. The people believe that noise pollution affects both humans and nonhumans. It not only affect human beings, but animals and plants also bear the brunt of noise pollution. “Noise pollution has been changed into a dangerous phenomenon in the world, due to which annually, 300,000 people are reportedly faced with mental and hearing problems, Mr. Tokhi added. According to officials of the Kabul municipality, currently, 78000 people are doing mobile works in Kabul, a figure which is impossible to control. At the same time, a number of doctors have transferred their clinics where there is no noise pollution.
According to medical experts, the number of people with hearing related problems has recently alarmingly climbed in Kabul, most of them military personnel, airport workers or people who reside in proximity to airport, factories or highways. This is while that the second vice president office has recently reported on arranging a draft law to prevent noise pollution, but unfortunately, it has not been practiced as it was expected.
Shukria Kohistani