Banks of powered speakers deployed during a function in Marredpally area of Hyderabad. File
| Photo Credit: Serish Nanisetti
On September 19, as the Milad-un-Nabi procession was winding down in Hyderabad, a large vehicle carrying dozens of high-powered speakers caught fire near Charminar. Nobody was injured, but dramatic footage emerged showing people escaping the neighbourhood in the nick of time. Known popularly as DJs, these high-powered mobile speaker systems pack a wallop while delivering sound at religious functions, political rallies and even events near homes. They have become ubiquitous for any social/cultural/religious/political events in Hyderabad and India. The deafening sound created by these systems has had its critics with many citizens taking to social media to raise the issue of sound pollution.
The Hyderabad Member of Parliament Asaduddin Owaisi jumped into the fray by questioning the need for these loud sound systems during religious and other events.
Hyderabad Police Commissioner C.V. Anand too took to social media to respond to the concern. “We are working on having a round table with all the organisations behind these festivals and the political parties to discuss and ban DJs, in letter and spirit. Fortunately everyone is positive about it. Will let you all know the details soon,” wrote Mr. Anand on X, formerly known as Twitter.
In the absence of any meaningful enforcement of sound pollution laws and norms, citizens are left to grin and bear it. The music systems are not the only culprit. Urban noise pollution in Hyderabad is beyond the threshold of hearing and sound pollution norms.
According to the Telangana Pollution Control Board data, Paradise area recorded 83.81 db sound level between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. This is the average sound level, the peak level details were not available. In the night, the levels dropped a notch to 80.06 db. The World Health Organisations guidelines norm is under 55 db for outdoor areas.
“The eardrum is a very flexible and an adaptable organ. Even after an exposure for a few hours to high noise levels it returns to normal position. But long term exposure to noise at this level can have consequences where hearing loss can become permanent,” informs Anand Acharya, Superintendent of ENT Hospital in Kothi.
Subwoofers and speakers
“The peak of the midrange is 1,500 but we never take it to that level,” says an event manager who rents out these speakers. The event organisers, loaded with money, stack the speakers. At a festive event in West Marredpally, this reporter counted speakers that pack a thump of 27,000 watts.
Awaaz Foundation which is carrying on a campaign against sound shared how in 16 places in Mumbai, the sound levels ranged between 80 db and 112 db. One well-known speaker manufacturer lists its 1,500 watt speaker at 131db (sound pressure level) or the listener gets a blast of 131db at a distance of one metre. A 120 db sound is considered very loud and is the upper limit of decibel scale.
Published – September 25, 2024 06:23 pm IST
