NOISE POLLUTION AND ITS HARM

Modern humans are facing a problem their ancestors never used to deal with: noise pollution. Throughout history, until recently, the vast majority of humans lived without machines, and even after the Industrial Revolution, most humans lived in rural areas where machines were rare. Today, things have changed. Most of the human population lives in urban areas, and these areas are becoming noisier as the population grows and more and more people have access to cars and other noise-producing machines.

According to the World Health Organisation, road traffic is the biggest cause of noise pollution in cities. Planes, helicopters, loudspeakers and construction are all contributing factors as well. The abundance of electronic devices has also added to this problem, especially recently. Easy access to phones, TV sets and portable speakers has multiplied the amount of our exposure to noise.

Population growth and people flooding urban areas to find jobs and have better lives have caused congested housing – low-quality construction with little green spaces, which leads to more noise in the area.

Karachi in Pakistan is often listed as the loudest city to live in. Karachi’s traffic is the main contributing factor to the noise, which is often above 90 decibels, well above the healthy range for the human ear.