by Niharika and Satya
"Pollution should never be the price of prosperity" - Al Gore
Of all the kinds of pollution we tend to neglect noise pollution the most. To have peace within you there should be peace around. With the motto to spread awareness about noise pollution, MH Vatavaran, The Environment Society of Miranda House organised a webinar on "Noise pollution" with Dr. Somdutta Sinha Roy (Faculty Advisor at MH Vatavaran from Department of Botany, Miranda House) as the eminent speaker. The online event was scheduled for 25th November, 2021 at 4:30 pm.
The event started as scheduled. Ishita Sukhija, General Secretary of MH Vatavaran welcomed everyone present in the session and briefly explained the invisible danger of noise pollution. Afterward, Dr. Rekha Kumari, convenor of MH Vatavaran, briefed about the causes and prevention of noise pollution. She also highlighted the importance of individual responsibility and encouraged everyone to take care and be more responsible towards our environment.
Following this, Noor Mankotia, the Social Media Manager of MH Vatavaran, presented a short animation on the causes, effects and prevention of noise pollution.
Dr. Somdutta Sinha Roy took over and started the presentation. She explained the structure of the ear, how it works, and what happens to our ears when exposed to noise for a longer period of time. She also stated the difference and similarities between the sound and noise.
She further explained the negative effects of noise, which includes physical and psychological effects:
1. Stress and anxiety
2. Faster heart beat
3. Excess sweating
4. Insomnia
She also showed what happens inside our ears at microscopic level when exposed to noise pollution and a graph showing hearing loss with repeated exposure to noise.
Dr. Somdutta stated the main sources of noise pollution to be traffic noise, air traffic noise, noise at construction sites, catering and nightlife, fire crackers etc. She also presented some path breaking research papers and enlightened the attendees with information about noise pollution and its solution.
She further discussed some facts like:
Our ears need more than 16 hours rest to make up for two hours of exposure to 100 dB.
According to 2018 records, the second world’s noisiest city is New Delhi and the fourth is Mumbai.
Afterwards, she threw light on the ways through which we can reduce noise levels inside our home which includes:
1. Reducing noise from appliances, media devices.
2. Repair or replace old machinery.
3. Sound proofing.
4. Using ear protection.
Further, Noor Mankotia presented a documentary by Environmental Film Association on Noise Pollution which is as follows:
The video ended with some insightful lines - “It is fair to say if we can cause the problem, we can also stop it too.” "Spread the word, honk less, lower the volume, keep your dog in check & have a cracker free Diwali. It helps the environment in more than one way but most of all it helps you".
Following this, Dr. Amrita Tripathi Sheikh, the senior advisor of MH Vatavaran guided the participants with her words and thanked everyone for joining.
MH Vatavaran also released a blog on Noise Pollution: Causes, Impact and Control which was presented by Noor Mankotia. The link to the same is as follows:
Dr. Sujata Sengupta, advisor of MH Vatavaran, appreciated the team for such an insightful session.
The session was concluded with a vote of thanks by Komal, the President of MH Vatavaran. The session was a success and lifted its motto "Be Sound, Do Not Pollute".
“Noise here and Noise there, no place to feel peace move the volume button a little down, so that we can heal.”
Nice