By Rex Johnson
Living in close proximity to the Freetown city centre offers you a benefit: a short commute to the business area is advantageous, and doing business is made easier by that. The disadvantages are also rather difficult.
From dawn ‘til dusk your ears are often assaulted by the incessant beats of megaphones, public-address speakers and car and motorbike horns. In its subtle nature it doesn't seem offensive or harmful to anyone until the impact of the decibels is revealed to you and the detrimental effects on your well-being, society and the environment are made known.
You wake up in the early morning to a bullhorn's blast from a nearby place of worship. After all, we are a very religious people, so the morning pray routine does not cause any disturbance. However, it is the prompt for the smaller loud-hailers to start their sound check. The orchestra is about to begin.
Handheld megaphones powered by small batteries start going off at first light. Street hawkers call your attention to their wares, having ingeniously recorded their voices into these discordant devices. You get to hear everything while not being able to listen to anything. Even the voice of your inner consciousness is drowned in the cacophonous flood stuffing your eardrums. From rat poison to detergents, from air fresheners to second-hand wares, all being pushed out by the noise. Sellers of mobile phone top-up, sachet water and ice cream, nobody is left behind in the noise pollution. Fruit, bread and “meresin” sellers all blaring away all through the day.
At this rate, peanut sellers would require a public address system sooner than later. A woman is caring for an aged member of the family. Her heart sinks every time a bullhorn blares. A young student tries hard to concentrate on his studies. They struggle to recollect their last thought. Recently a first-time visitor was heard shouting "top-up, top-up, top-up" in his sleep. (True story).
The noise of the megaphones intertwines with the constant honks and hooting of vehicle horns to raise the decibel levels higher. Hold on to your heart, we are still a few modulations away from crescendo. Here come the boom boxes. Rolling in on wheels with brazen audacity. They come to intensify the noise levels. Even notching it several octaves up. They are completely oblivious of the suckling mother who has barely managed to lull her young one to sleep in the hope of getting a few chores done before some shut-eye.
As the boom boxes wheel away, their Big Oga struts in with brash valour. Heavy duty trucks carrying speakers with enough amplitude to rock a large auditorium. Their unwelcome amusement is to “inform” us of some new social campaign or advertise some new product.
It seems our folks have found a new and creative way to grab attention making it hard for us to escape patronizing their franchise. Even if you cannot see them, being indoors, you are not left uninformed of what is passing by. I guess they would want us to believe that it is a fun way of facilitating business activity and helping small-scale businesses until you start considering the long-term consequences of too much exposure to such regular noise.
Experts describe noise pollution as unwanted or excessive sound that can have negative effects on human health and environmental quality. Generally, extremely loud noises can be acceptable in industrial environments and some other workplaces like carpentry or welding shops, motor mechanic garages, and construction sites. Ideally, such workstations are located a reasonable distance away from dwelling homes. This is because certain levels and duration of noise exposure around residential areas may result in damage to the eardrum and even permanent loss of hearing.
It is not just the eardrums and ears that suffer. According to studies done by National Geographic, excessive noise levels have been known to increase blood pressure. Elevated blood levels for a long duration are a major cause of Hypertension. Heart diseases can also be linked to constant unnecessary noise exposure. Then there is sleep disruption which leaves a person feeling tired and lazy because of low energy levels. Less sleep time renders someone easily irritated and highly stressed. This lowers one's ultimate productivity levels. If you can hold a phone conversation without rude interruption, try participating in a global meeting from the comfort of your living room or office during peak hours.
A person suffering from Cardiovascular disease or Hypertension may experience a shoot-up in levels of discomfort due to persistent loud decibels. Other effects of noise pollution are mental fatigue leading to shortening attention span, and decreased brain functions. Simply put, it makes people stupid. It does not end there, there is also interference with personal communication habits to talk about which renders people talking unnecessarily loud. Children living in areas with high noise levels have been found to suffer from stress, memory impairments, and low attention span. As has been observed with adults, the menace of noise pollution impairs brain functions in children.
Research has further proven that the problems of noise in our environment not only affect humans but also affect the life and sustainability of animals as well. Animals use sounds to communicate, mate and navigate. Much of the living depends on exchanging sounds with their environment. When our noise levels interfere with their ability to communicate with each other or with their environment, their well-being becomes endangered. If they cannot accomplish their tasks as listed above, it affects their ability to survive. To recap, noise pollution causes deafness, high blood pressure, heart diseases, stress, fatigue, depression, anxiety, inability to focus, low brain functions, aggressiveness and stupidity in both humans and animals.
According to the European Environment Agency (EEA), noise is responsible for 16,600 premature deaths and 72,000 hospitalizations in Europe. Considering that there are far fewer uncontrolled noise levels in Europe compared to what obtains in our city with limited healthcare service, it is anybody’s guess what our current data would read.
Providing clear-cut solutions to this issue in our society is not as easy as listing the problem and its effects. What works in other geographic locations where this problem has been tackled will not necessarily work here. There is no marked difference between our residential areas and business zones. We have nightclubs and worship centres, sandwiched by private residences. Marketplaces and school buildings coexist. We do not build with noise insulation installed in buildings prone to noise. There is general approval for street trading as this is directly linked to the economic climate of our society.
The issue of noise pollution has plagued our planet for far too long. It poses a pressing problem that requires immediate attention. We must take responsibility now as we equally lay blame where we should. We must strive to create gainful opportunities for the readily identifiable defaulters and advocate for policy change that will benefit both businesses and people alike. It is time to fight for progress and put a stop to this environmental hazard before it's too late.
It will be some herculean task to teach new tricks to the now mature generation. That is where the enacting of laws and regulations becomes essential. Banning the importation of bullhorns and hand-held megaphones that constitute mega nuisance would greatly reduce environmental harm to our generation. Our lawmakers should strongly consider reviewing or enacting laws relating to public order / public nuisance. Establishing such laws with preventive and corrective measures will no doubt protect our human resources and enrich our social capital.
Noise pollution is like an unwanted guest that has overstayed their welcome. It lingers around, getting increasingly louder and more intrusive, making it difficult to relax, think or even carry on a conversation. Like plugging a leaking sink to prevent flooding, we can all grab a towel and work together to help stop the noise pollution. Everyone's thoughts and contributions can help create the full picture, allowing us to appreciate the beauty of silence.
Rex Johnson (Rev) is a Media Professional, Ordained Minister and Social Entrepreneur. Email - rexfordj@gmail.com; Facebook - Olufemi Rex Johnson
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