Photo credit: Volker Meyer from Pexels
by Daniel Fink, MD, Chair, The Quiet Coalition
As reported in The Annapurna Express, noise from horns is a problem in Nepal’s Kathmandu Valley. I haven’t been to Nepal, but I think of it as an unspoiled, scenic country in the Himalays with quiet, bucolic mountain communities surrounded by gleaming mountains.
At least in the Kathmandu Valley, I’m wrong.
Noise from vehicle horns continues to be a major problem, despite a “no horns” law passed in 2017. And road traffic noise is also a problem. The noise is loud enough to affect schools and the learning of students inside them.
Nepal isn’t the only country dealing with noise issues. These affect cities and rural areas in most of the world.
But their government agencies seem as disinterested as those in the U.S. about addressing the problem.
The only advice we can offer is that enough citizens complain to their elected representatives about noise, maybe something will be done to make Nepal quieter.
