It was the Nobel Prize-winning scientist Robert Koch who, as early as 1910, foresaw that ‘One day man will have to fight noise as fiercely as cholera and pest’. Koch’s words ring truer than ever now, decades later. Global environmental pollution is one of the most serious challenges of our time, with the fight against its very sources proving to be difficult and continuing. In India, this concern is more pressing due to a multitude of contributing factors. Among them, noise pollution plays a significant role. It is well understood that sound – when loud, unpleasant, or unwanted – is classified as noise. Emanating from diverse sources, noise pollution not only inflicts profound physiological and psychological harm on humans but also disrupts the natural world, affecting both terrestrial and marine life.

When it comes to humans, responses to noise vary widely, influenced by factors such as age, temperament, and individual sensitivity. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), noise pollution ranks as the third most hazardous environmental threat, following air and water pollution. Across the country, loudspeakers operating beyond permissible limits remain an unchecked source of noise pollution, alongside other major contributors such as transportation, firecrackers, industrial and mechanical equipment, generator sets, blaring music systems, and various soundemitting instruments. The ground-breaking innovation of the loudspeaker revolutionized amplified sound, laying the foundation for modern audio systems. Originally designed to enhance auditory experiences – improving listening in homes, theatres, and public spaces while enriching entertainment and communication – it has, through indiscriminate and insensitive use, morphed into a significant source of noise pollution.

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This unchecked misuse poses serious health risks, including hearing damage, nausea, dizziness, sleep disorders, stress, and anxiety. We live in an era of relentless, agenda-driven promotion, aggressive publicity, and cutthroat competition, where loudspeakers have been recklessly over-amplified. Using them at full volume beyond permissible limits may succeed in grabbing attention, but they ultimately serve as stark symbols of incivility. For all practical purposes, a significant share of avoidable noise violations seems to stem from political, religious, and social events, despite the fact that both Central and State Pollution Control Boards have established permissible noise levels for different zones – residential, silent, industrial, and commercial – distinctly regulating them for daytime and night time. These thresholds aim to regulate noise pollution and safeguard public health. Additionally, according to the stated rules, loudspeakers are prohibited between 10 PM and 6 AM, except within enclosed spaces such as auditoriums, conference rooms, community halls, and banquet halls – and even then, only for internal communication.

Furthermore, their use requires prior written permission from the competent authority. Yet, the stark reality around us stands in sharp contrast – blatant defiance of noise pollution norms remains unrestrained, disrupting students’ studies, disturbing professionals at work, and infringing on the fundamental right to peace and quiet. Many religious spaces-temples, mosques, gurudwaras, churches, puja pandals, kirtans, and religious processions contribute to this deafening chaos. Moreover, parties, receptions, and club programmes continue to audaciously flout noise regulations with impunity. In the political arena, high volume loudspeaker-driven programmes are equally-if not more culpable for worsening the situation.

They too flagrantly violate regulations, further amplifying the menace of unchecked noise pollution. There is no denying that noise is an inescapable part of modern life. Realistically, while we may not eliminate excessive noise entirely, we can certainly enhance compliance and adopt a multifaceted approach that includes technological innovation, advanced construction methods, improved product design, noise barriers, and thoughtful urban planning. However, what we can and must do – both individually and collectively – is adhere to prescribed audio limits and established regulations, ensuring that noise pollution does not escalate into a menace to humanity.

Can one possibly forgive and forget the heart-wrenching plea of a gentleman who begged authorities at a political event near his home to lower the volume, as his severely ill, nonagenarian mother could not endure the deafening decibels? His request fell on deaf ears – just as countless similar appeals do across the country. Interestingly, the violators themselves are fully aware of their transgressions, yet remain indifferent, having successfully conditioned society into passive acquiescence – accustomed, desensitized, and reluctant to resist. As a result, the common sentiment among the aam aadmi is that any opposition risks severe backlash, branding individuals as anti-religion or politically adversarial.

While every effort to protect and respect the environment is ultimately an effort to safeguard ourselves and future generations, we often cling to the flawed notion that a practice must endure simply because it has existed for generations – regardless of its disruptive or harmful consequences. Despite multiple Supreme Court and High Court rulings condemning noise polluters for disregarding public discomfort, sound pollution continues unabated. The Supreme Court’s judgments on loudspeaker usage were intended to protect citizens from becoming a ‘forced audience’ to noise, yet enforcement remains a challenge. Just this year, two High Courts reinforced this stance.

The Bombay High Court ruled that loudspeakers are not essential to religion and directed the state to curb noise pollution at religious places through calibrated sound systems. Similarly, the Allahabad High Court held that loudspeakers cannot be claimed as a right when they create a nuisance, having previously imposed an absolute ban on DJs in the state. As a self-congratulatory democracy and a multi-religious society, are we not undermining ourselves by failing to cultivate a true democratic spirit – one that transcends narrow ideologies and embraces shared human concern? We have already made the world increasingly calamity-prone-clean air and water are vanishing, forests are shrinking, and the environment is deteriorating daily, all driven by unchecked self-interest.

Yet, to everyone’s astonishment, this relentless degradation continues despite grave warnings, alarming statistics, and mounting evidence from concerned agencies. The time is ripe to ask: why does addressing the shared suffering and anguish caused by this uncivilized, piercing cacophony remain so difficult? One reason is that changing deeply entrenched beliefs is among the hardest challenges. We wait for others to initiate change while absolving ourselves of responsibility, failing to acknowledge that true transformation begins with our own attitudes and actions.

Another reason is our misplaced priorities – immersed in the glow of our screens, we allow technology, social media, and digital distractions to tighten their grip on our lives and those of our children with each passing year. We prioritize everything but environmental wellbeing, dismissing the growing culture of noise pollution as a trivial concern.

Finally, we have grown desensitized to others’ discomfort. With little fear of consequences, violators act with impunity, further emboldened by society’s passive acceptance. Let us not forget that environmental destruction spares no one – it will ultimately consume the powerful and the powerless, the religious and the nonreligious, concerned and unconcerned alike. It is time we commit to safeguarding both the environment and the rule of law.

(The writer is author of ‘Whispers of an ordinary journey’ and former Deputy General Manager, IIC, Delhi.)