The minister of State in the Vice President’s Office (Environment), Dr
Binilith Mahenge, during an interview yesterday. PHOTO | SALIM SHAO
By The Citizen
In Summary
- Now it becomes totally unacceptable when noise from a bar disturbs unconcerned people within a 5km radius.
Tanzanian towns and cities are choked, not only
by garbage; it is choked by noise too. Noise from music bars, partying
households, nightclubs, motorbike taxis (bodaboda)… you name
it. That is called noise pollution. It is bad enough that bar
patrons, who should be enjoying themselves, have to contend with sound
levels that threaten to burst eardrums. Now it becomes totally
unacceptable when noise from a bar disturbs unconcerned people within a
5km radius.
Noise is not only a nuisance; it is a health
hazard too. People can lose their hearing, not only through infections,
but also through exposure to either a sudden, loud noise or exposure to
loud noises for a time.
According to experts, a dangerous sound is
anything that is 85 dBA (sound pressure level – SPL) or higher. Yet, our
people, and especially the young, are least bothered as they revel at a
nightclub, where typical average sound levels are 105 dBA. Surveys show
that in some nightclubs, sound goes to as high as 110 dBA or more!
Some people might not even be aware of the extent
of danger that they put themselves into by exposing themselves to high
sound levels. That is why we welcome the move by the minister of State
in the Vice President’s Office (Environment), Dr Binilith Mahenge, who
on Thursday last week signed into law regulations that seek to control
noise levels and vibrations.
The regulations, which Dr Mahenge says have been
taken to the Attorney General’s office for gazetting, will set sound
limits for nightclubs, bars, churches, mosques road shows, etc.
We hasten to note: Tanzanians are familiar with a
myriad of good laws which are, sadly, ignored, by both the law keepers
and the citizenry. Let everybody understand the noise pollution law and
ensure it is implemented for the benefit of us all.
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