Information and Broadcasting and Environment, Forests and Climate Change Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan on Saturday urged people from all walks of life to refrain from unnecessary honking as part of efforts to curb noise pollution.
She said unnecessary honking has become a deeply ingrained habit over the years and stressed that tackling noise pollution requires not only strict enforcement of laws but also a change in public behaviour.
The adviser made the remarks while inaugurating a rally organised under the Department of Environment’s integrated and partnership-based project for noise pollution control in Dhaka.
The rally, jointly organised by the Department of Environment and the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, aimed to raise public awareness about noise pollution. Bearing the slogan “No More Noise Pollution, Let Healthy Life Prevail,” the procession began from Manik Mia Avenue at the South Plaza of the National Parliament Building in the morning and passed through Farmgate, Karwan Bazar and Bijoy Sarani before concluding at the Department of Environment in Agargaon.
Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ministry Secretary Dr Farhina Ahmed attended the programme.
Rizwana said the Noise Pollution (Control) Rules, 2025, have already been gazetted, expanding enforcement responsibilities to the police alongside the Department of Environment. She said the move allows immediate action against noise polluters, as police personnel remain deployed on roads round the clock.
She said several areas of Dhaka have been declared silent zones and emphasised the need for stronger monitoring in those locations.
Identifying unnecessary honking and fireworks as the two main sources of noise pollution currently being addressed, she said steps would be taken to ensure fireworks are set off only at designated places during Pahela Baishakh.
She expressed hope that the next elected government would continue ongoing initiatives to control noise pollution.
The adviser also urged media professionals to help raise public awareness against unnecessary honking and called on young volunteers to build a social movement to protect future generations from hearing impairment.
Department of Environment Director General Dr Md Kamruzzaman and Dhaka Metropolitan Police Additional Police Commissioner Md Sarwar also spoke at the programme.
Additional Police Commissioner (Traffic) Md Anisur Rahman, Noise Pollution Control Project Director Farid Ahmed, and senior officials from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the Department of Environment and the Dhaka Metropolitan Police were also present.
As part of the integrated project, mobile courts and awareness campaigns were conducted at ten key points across Dhaka for ten days from January 5, with the campaign concluding on Saturday through the motor rally, supported by student volunteers of Green Voice.
