The Hindu Business Line : Noise proves nothing...

THERE is ample news about noise pollution. For instance, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in the UK has published the results of its investigation into the environmental effects of military aircraft noise, as one learns from www.greenconsumerguide.com; a pioneering study has shown that traffic congestion is the main cause of noise pollution in Abu Dhabi and other cities in the UAE, with demolition works taking the second spot in raising decibel levels, as www.khaleejtimes.com reports; a city councillor is calling for more staff to work in the noise monitoring department at City Hall, notes www.eveningnews24.co.uk; and the recent judgment of the apex court on the subject finds mention in media across the globe.

The 19,000-word verdict of the Supreme Court delivered on July 18, by Chief Justice R.C. Lahoti and Justice Ashok Bhan is a thesis on noise. The word noise is derived from the Latin term `nausea', explained the court, and cited a definition: "unwanted sound, a potential hazard to health and communication dumped into the environment with regard to the adverse effect it may have on unwilling ears." Sound that pleases the listeners is music and that which causes pain and annoyance is noise. However, "what is music for some can be noise for others"; it can even be fatally oppressive as in the 1998 incident that made Anil K. Mittal move the court.

The judges cited Encyclopaedia Britannica, that "in acoustics noise is defined as any undesired sound," and Chambers 20th Century Dictionary, that noise means "sound especially of loud, harsh or confused kind; a sound of any kind; an over loud or disturbing sound; frequent or public talk." In Chambers 21st Century Dictionary, the definition of noise has undergone a change, noted the judges, because noise pollution stands carved out as a phrase separately from noise. While noise is "a sound; a harsh disagreeable sound, or such sound; a din", noise pollution is "an excessive or annoying degree of noise in a particular area, e.g. from traffic or aeroplane engines."

Noise is a type of atmospheric pollution, said the court, branding it "a shadowy public enemy whose growing menace has increased in the modern age of industrialisation and technological advancement." Loud noise during peak marketing hours creates tiredness, irritation and impairs brain activities so as to reduce thinking and working abilities, said the court referring to research in this topic.

"Noise pollution was previously confined to a few special areas like factory or mill, but today it engulfs every nook and corner of the globe, reaching its peak in urban areas." Thus, `the main ear contaminators' are industries, automobiles, rail engines, aeroplanes, radios, loudspeakers, tape recorders, lottery ticket sellers, hawkers, pop singers and so on, declared the court. "The regular rattling of engines and intermittent blowing of horns emanating from the caravan of automobiles do not allow us to have any respite from irritant noise even in suburban zones."

Frighteningly, noise can make blood vessels, "especially the smaller ones known as pre-capillaries," narrower! "Noise causes the peripheral blood vessels in the toes, fingers, skin and abdominal organs to constrict, thereby decreasing the amount of blood normally supplied to these areas." The judgment then goes on to discuss the sources of noise, methods adopted in other countries to control noise pollution, laws in India for the purpose, and judicial opinion in decided cases, all of which merit a detailed reading. Most important, however, is the portion of the verdict that gives detailed directions.

While for those who have endured noise for eons this ruling should be music, to the rest, though, here is a Mark Twain quote, to wrap: "Noise proves nothing. Often a hen who has merely laid an egg cackles as if she laid an asteroid."

ExParte@TheHindu.co.in

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