Residents practice dancing in a small park in Shanghai on Aug 24. Citizens in large Chinese cities have been troubled by all kinds of public noise. Shanghai's local government is now preparing to tackle the problem. Gao Erqiang / China Daily

 

The bustling city is looking at ways to combat noise pollution, reports Shi Jing.

Are you the sort of person who mutes their cellphone or plugs in headphones when listening to music on the subway or bus, allowing other travelers the peace and tranquility to focus on their newspaper or book?

Do you consider the feelings of others - night workers, mothers with sleeping children, students who've stayed up all night to complete a project? - when you perform early morning exercises in a pubic place and therefore decide to forego the use of "uplifting" music coming from loudspeakers to accompany your calisthenics?

Do you refrain from sounding your car horn in residential areas during the small hours?

If not, you may soon have to. The municipal government of Shanghai has been investigating the effects of noise pollution on the general public and is preparing to take action to tackle the problem.

In late July, the city authorities held a legislative hearing to draft regulations to control public noise. The regulations will center on three major themes: Whether to ban or otherwise control the use of portable loudspeakers in parks, squares and residential streets for physical exercise, prohibiting the refurbishment of residential buildings during specified hours, and limiting the use of loudspeakers at schools.

However, the form these regulations will take is still unclear. Cai Jie, who represented the Zhabei district bureau of the afforestation administration at the hearing, admitted that at present the authorities can only attempt to dissuade residents from the use of loudspeakers in parks and other public places because the regulations pertaining to noise pollution are opaque.

"A noise inspection or patrol system can be established in areas that receive the highest number of complaints about noise pollution and the statistics could be made public every day. Meanwhile, the environmental protection departments should work closely with the police to set up a strict registration system to strictly observe promotional events or sports that may produce a large amount of noise pollution," he suggested.

Meanwhile, the word "negation" in the existing regulations intended to control noise pollution is ambiguous and can allow infringements to continue unchecked, according to Zhao Ye, deputy director of the administration committee of the Jiading Industrial Zone.

'Social life noise'

Shanghai's local environmental protection departments receive an average of 100,000 complaints about noise pollution every year, accounting for roughly 48 percent of all environmental pollution complaints. That's according to statistics provided by the municipal government. So-called social life noise (general street noise) is the most annoying form of pollution and accounts for about half of the complaints.

Efforts have been made to alleviate the problem. "Procedures of Shanghai Municipality on the Administration of Fixed Source Noise Pollution Control" was released by the local government in 1986, and the Municipal Standing Committee discussed and passed "Regulations of Shanghai Municipality on Environmental Protection" - which features specific rules on noise pollution - in 1994.

But over time, it has become apparent that the definition of social life noise is ambiguous, because it fails to specify the extent by which social noise has overstepped the mark and affected the normal lives of residents.

With the popularity of modern technology and the prevalence of cellphones, tablet personal computers and portable video-game players, the need for a clear-cut definition of social life noise and its effects has become ever-more pressing.

More than 27 percent of respondents in a recent survey conducted by Shanghai's Jiefang Daily newspaper said that their equanimity is frequently disturbed by beggars - and their ubiquitous blaring beatboxes - singing on the subway. Many of the interviewees suggested that onboard inspectors should be hired to dissuade or punish the practice.

A further 20 percent suggested that decibel monitors should be installed to determine the noise levels in subway compartments. The monitors would issue an alarm tone should the level exceed the prescribed limits.

Moreover, 16 percent said that each subway train has at least one "silent" carriage, in which phone calls, audible music and loud conversation would be prohibited, while 15 or more interviewees admitted that they have attempted to persuade loud passengers to tone down their volume and have gently mocked them if they failed to do so.

"What should people do if someone plays loud music via their mobile phone while on the subway, and everybody else is forced to listen to it?" asked one frustrated netizen on her micro blog recently. The question was instantly reposted more than 140 times and attracted the attention of the Shanghai Metro's official weibo (micro blog) account. Shanghai Metro subsequently conducted its own survey and most of the respondents expressed discontent at the perceived indifference to the rights of others.

Personal redress

Online complaints are plentiful, but Ren Yuhong, a senior environmental protection lawyer at the Yingke Law Firm in Shanghai, said it's difficult for individuals to find any form of personal redress

"As noise pollution, or any other kind of pollution, usually has an impact on groups of people, it's better that they work together and seek help from environmental protection organizations, which will hopefully exert a greater degree of social influence and help solve the problem quickly," said Ren, who is also a member of the All-China Environment Federation.

"In the past five years, especially after the Tort Law of the People's Republic of China took effect in July 2010, people's awareness of their legal rights has been greatly raised. We have also noticed that people are increasingly concerned about the environment in which they live. Shanghai is taking the lead nationwide in terms of addressing the social noise pollution," she said.

Some individuals can avoid going to noisy parks or squares, but commuters find it difficult to avoid the noise on public transport. Given the rapid proliferation of cellphones and other digital devices, it's obvious that complaints will continue if substantial steps aren't taken.

Although the economic slowdown has limited the growth in sales of cellphones to just 1 percent so far this year, the number of cellphone users in China was still 1.05 billion at the end of June, according to Enfodesk, a think tank engaged in research into new media economics. If the figures remain steady, Enfodesk predicts that the number will rise to 1.1 billion by the year-end.

Moreover, 2.34 million tablet personal computers were sold in China during the first half of the year, an increase of 7.8 percent year-on-year.

According to a report called Burden of Disease from Environmental Noise, released by the World Health Organization's regional office for Europe, people affected by noise pollution are likely to experience a variety of negative responses, such as anger, disappointment, dissatisfaction, withdrawal, helplessness, depression, anxiety, distraction, agitation or exhaustion. Furthermore, stress-related psycho-social symptoms such as tiredness and stomach discomfort have been found to be associated with exposure to excessive or prolonged spells of noise.

"If the basic noise level in a specified environment is regularly between 50 and 60 decibels, the person working or living in it will be emotionally affected. They are likely to become short-tempered and easily distracted," said Huang Zhiwu, director of the otolaryngology (Ear, Nose and Throat) department of Xinhua Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine.

Huang conducted research into the hearing of 300 college freshmen in 2009. He discovered that 14 percent of the students had developed symptoms of hearing loss because of excessive use of MP3 players and similar devices. Huang described the figure as "extremely high".

"The average maximum volume of MP3 players is around 110 decibels. As for video-game platforms, the maximum volume is around 90 decibels. The basic noise level in the subway is around 60 decibels. Therefore, we highly recommend that people don't use these devices in subways because even conversations then have to be conducted at a higher volume," he said.

"Hearing is connected to many parts of the body, such as the nervous system. Therefore people can be affected by excessive exposure. The impact of noise increases exponentially and is transmitted to the entire human body," he added.

Altering mindsets

Historically, less importance has been attached to the study of noise pollution than other problems such as the pollution of air, water and land. Checking the lists of environmental science departments in China, it soon becomes apparent that noise pollution is the poor relation and that few academics specialize in the field.

"It is true that noise pollution is seldom the focus of research, because it is relatively easy to control. The study is always left to physics departments to devise methods to eliminate noise," said Chen Zhenlou, deputy director of the College of Resources and Environmental Science of East China Normal University in Shanghai.

It may be easy to eliminate the source of noise at a scientific level, but it's far more difficult to alter people's mindsets. In other words, an awareness of what constitutes a public area is an issue that needs to be addressed.

In Japan, people on public transport listen to music through headphones, send text messages in silent mode or just read. Talking on a cellphone is prohibited on all public transport, except taxis cabs. Buses and trains always display notices to remind travelers of their obligation not to disturb other people.

Back in China, Bei Ye, a well-known author and arts critic, commented on his micro blog that the beauty of a public space will only become apparent when public awareness is raised, otherwise bad habits will become ingrained, to the detriment of all.

"Just as Chinese people emphasize family and country, we need to learn to be better citizens, especially in our behavior in the public realm. We need more education in this field," said Mee Kam Ng, director of the Urban Studies Program at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

"We will become more civilized eventually, when learn to live together harmoniously. Education is the first step," she said.

Contact the reporter at shijing@chinadaily.com.cn