New group formed to tackle urban noise levels

Levels of noise in the city have led to people losing their hearing without them realizing, a group claims, saying that 10.7 percent of people who conduct activities in the streets of Jakarta have hearing problems.

Jakarta is filled with various noises from motor vehicles in the streets, loud speakers in places of worship, malls, and recreational areas, banging from construction sites and noise from industries. All these have caused people to gradually suffer hearing problems.

Concerned individuals from civil and cultural groups as well as medical organizations on Saturday formed the Free from Noise Society, an organization aimed at working to achieve a quieter city.

Cultural icons such as scholar Ahmad Syafii Maarif and author N.H. Dini supported the establishment of the group.

A doctor with the Southeast Asia Society for Sound Hearing, Bulantrisna Djelantik, said noise in major Indonesian cities exceeded safe levels. “It causes not only hearing loss and deafness, but also endangers physical and psychological health.”

Bulantrisna said the newly established group would run a public campaign creating awareness of the dangers of noise pollution. The group will also push for policy change and stricter monitoring to create a noise-free environment.

According to Ronny Suwento from Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital, most people did not realize their hearing had deteriorated. He said many sidewalk vendors who work busy street corners would deny they had hearing problems.

“But when we tested them in a sound-proof room, we found that some of them do,” he said.

In 1996, Ronny and a team from the hospital did a survey in 25 streets in Jakarta — including in Senen, Cawang and Tanjung Priok — and found 10.7 percent of people had hearing problems.

In 2004, he did a survey in a steel factory and found that more than 60 percent of workers had hearing problems. The same year, he surveyed 34 navy pilots and found that 23.1 percent of them had hearing problems.

Bulantrisna said noise levels in big Indonesian cities reached 80 decibels, 10 decibels higher than safe limits.

Noise in malls and family recreation areas was at 90 to 97 decibels.

Ronny said listening to earphones could cause hearing problems as well. He said one popular music player could reach 130 decibels.

“People can listen at that level, but only for 15 minutes. After that, they should let their ears rest,” he said, adding that the higher the volume, the shorter the listening time should be.

He said that it was tolerable to listen to 90 decibels of noise for only eight hours, six hours for 92 decibels, four hours for 95 decibels, three hours for 97 and so on.

The noise at busy thoroughfares reached 85 decibels, a document in the seminar said. A traffic policeman, for example, should not be exposed for more than 8 hours to sound equaling or exceeding 100 decibels include airplanes taking off or landing, an approaching train at station, and the sound of a gun shot to the ears of the shooter.

Bulantrisna said hearing loss was a serious matter because the damage was permanent.

Ronny said one way to prevent hearing loss was to use ear plugs.

Posted in: