Published: 09:56 AM, 22 June 2026
Noise pollution control project concludes with closing workshop
The closing workshop of the Integrated and Participatory Project for Noise Pollution Control, implemented by the Department of Environment (DoE), was held on Sunday in the auditorium of the Department of Environment.
The event was graced by Abdul Awal Mintoo, MP, Minister for the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, as the Chief Guest. In his remarks, he emphasized the need to incorporate noise pollution awareness into the national education curriculum and called upon all stakeholders to work collectively to control noise pollution across the country.
Special Guests included Md. Raihan Kawsar, Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change; Mir Ahmed Tarikul Omar, Director (Operations) of the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA); Dr. Nurun Nahar, Additional Secretary of the Ministry; Md. Anisur Rahman, Additional Commissioner (Traffic) of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP); and Md. Ziaul Haque, Additional Director General of the Department of Environment. The workshop was chaired by Dr. Lutfor Rahman, Director General of the Department of Environment.
Addressing the workshop, Secretary Md. Raihan Kawsar highlighted that noise pollution poses serious risks to public health and also causes significant harm to biodiversity. Md. Anisur Rahman, Additional Commissioner (Traffic) of DMP, stated that since the enforcement of the Noise Pollution Control Rules 2025, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police has filed 29,478 cases and collected BDT 19.2 million in fines for violations related to noise pollution.
In his closing remarks, Dr. Lutfor Rahman, Director General of the Department of Environment, thanked the project team for successfully implementing the initiative and urged everyone to complement the government's efforts in reducing noise pollution.
During the workshop, the survey report on environmental noise levels across all 64 districts of Bangladesh was officially unveiled. Participants were also presented with a comprehensive overview of the project's activities and achievements from its inception to completion.
The project was implemented from January 2020 to June 2026 with a total allocation of BDT 548.489 million. It was designed around three major objectives: (i) strengthening stakeholder capacity and raising public awareness for effective implementation of the Noise Pollution Control Rules 2006 to protect public health and the environment; (ii) collecting, preserving, and managing data on noise levels, sources, and impacts to support evidence-based interventions; and (iii) piloting practical initiatives to establish effective mechanisms for noise pollution control.
To achieve these objectives, the project provided training to 139,640 participants and organized 16 stakeholder workshops nationwide. A series of Training of Trainers (ToT) programmes were conducted for officials of BRTA, the Islamic Foundation, and the Dhaka Metropolitan Police. In particular, a dedicated session on noise pollution was incorporated into BRTA's day-long driver training programmes.
The project also observed the International Noise Awareness Day nationwide every year. As part of its awareness campaign, public service announcements on noise pollution were broadcast for a total of 7,623 minutes across 23 television channels and two FM radio stations. Additionally, 300 colour advertisements were published in leading national newspapers.
