Published: 09:40 AM, 07 June 2026
Noise awareness rally held marking World Environment Day
A noise awareness rally was held at Gulshan-2 Circle in Dhaka on Friday at 9:30 AM to mark World Environment Day 2026 under the “Integrated and Partnership-based Project for Noise Pollution Control” being implemented by the Department of Environment (DoE). The event was jointly organized by the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), the Department of Environment, and the Gulshan Society.
The rally was presided over by the Director General of the Department of Environment, Dr. Md. Lutfur Rahman. The Administrator of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), Md. Shafiqul Islam Khan, attended the event as the chief guest, according to a press release.
Addressing the gathering, the chief guest Md. Shafiqul Islam Khan emphasized that along with enforcing laws, raising public awareness is essential to control noise pollution. He stated that noise pollution is not only an environmental hazard but also a “silent killer.” He called upon all concerned stakeholders to come forward in controlling noise pollution and assured that DNCC would play a more effective role in this regard.
In his presidential speech, Director General of the Department of Environment Dr. Md. Lutfur Rahman said that the Department has been working tirelessly to control noise pollution across the country. He mentioned that since 2020, the Department of Environment has been implementing the “Integrated and Partnership-based Project for Noise Pollution Control.” Under this project, training programs are being conducted nationwide involving various stakeholders including students, transport drivers, traffic police, government officials, construction workers, and professionals from different sectors. Mobile courts are also being operated across the country, workshops are being organized, and awareness campaigns are being carried out through signboards on important road dividers in Dhaka, newspaper advertisements, TV commercials on various television channels, and social media campaigns.
Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, Md. Anichur Rahman, said that after traffic police were empowered under the Noise Pollution (Control) Rules, 2025, the traffic division of DMP has been working extensively to control noise pollution, and city residents will gradually experience the benefits. He further announced that Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport area is a declared silent zone, and from now on, drives against noise pollution in the airport area would be intensified, with strict measures to prevent unnecessary honking.
Speakers at the rally urged everyone to come forward in controlling different forms of environmental pollution. They particularly highlighted that noise pollution has become a major nuisance in urban life, making city living increasingly unbearable. The speakers expressed their commitment to building a noise pollution-free Bangladesh through the initiatives undertaken on the occasion of World Environment Day.
Among others, speeches were delivered by Farid Ahmad, Director of Dhaka Metropolitan Office of the Department of Environment and Project Director of the Integrated and Partnership-based Project for Noise Pollution Control, along with leaders of the Gulshan, Banani, Baridhara and Niketan societies, and representatives of Green Voice and Green Savers.
The rally was attended by senior officials of the Department of Environment, officials from Dhaka Metropolitan Police, Dhaka North City Corporation and BRTA, representatives from Gulshan, Banani, Baridhara and Niketan societies, as well as volunteers from Green Savers and Green Voice.
Following the rally, a public awareness campaign was conducted in the surrounding areas of Gulshan-2 Circle. Carrying banners, festoons and placards, participants stood along the sidewalks urging drivers of passing vehicles to refrain from honking unnecessarily. Volunteers also distributed leaflets and placed awareness stickers on vehicles as part of the campaign.
