Karachi has never been a quiet city. It is always abuzz with pleasant and unpleasant sounds, like the noises made by cars, machines, fireworks, the sea, sirens and the people chatting and chanting all around. The city is hardly calm and composed; not even in the middle of the night, or early in the morning.
Recently, many people in society have noticed an increasing use of loudspeakers in residential neighbourhoods, which is a disturbing addition to the noise pollution in the city.
In the wake of the recent floods, almost all welfare organisations worth their name started using high-definition loudspeakers in residential areas, exhorting people to donate. This was so annoying and irritating that I know many people who made it a point not to donate to those who were causing such unbearable pain and frustration in the neighbourhood.
Patients felt disturbed and uneasy. Their caregivers were frustrated. Mothers wanted to put their infants to sleep, but could not. The sleep deficit made the children grouchy and grumpy, and that made the life of mothers even more frustrating. Students had their own sufferings as they could not focus on their studies. Mental peace stood destroyed at personal, familial and social levels just because the donation-seekers out on the streets were trying to shout louder than the rest.
The civic authorities should control such irresponsible use of loudspeakers and ensure that the peace of neighbourhoods remains intact. A little effort can go a long way.
MUHAMMAD ZAREEF
KARACHI
