“The car horn is a symbol of being uncivilised. We wanted to show the world how civilised we are in Kathmandu.”

Head of Traffic Police, Kathmandu

We talk a lot about air pollution and regularly complain about light pollution as well. Then, there is noise pollution. Wherever we are, there is some kind of noise distracting us, annoying us, keeping us from sleeping, and diverting our attention from our work. It’s the same in many cities around the world, and in Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal, people have been complaining about the noise made by drivers who continually sound their car horns. That is until recently when something was finally done about it.

Local newspapers reported that the Chief District Officer of Kathmandu had received many complaints about horn pollution. He said that everyone felt the use of the car horn in recent years had become excessive. When transport experts looked into it, they found that for about 80 per cent of the time, it really was not necessary for drivers to use their car horns. Pressing the horn to make a noise had become more of a habit. It was no longer being used as it was supposed to be used: to warn people of danger.

At the beginning of the last Nepali New Year, the local government banned the use of car horns unless used correctly. The new law was promoted through a big information campaign with leaflets and posters. Within six months, 11,000 fines had been collected by the local traffic police. The fine was about HK$360. A taxi driver in Kathmandu can earn about HK$1,000 per day, so he could lose about one-third of his daily income.

As usual, there were many complaints from drivers. They said that cows and dogs were free to roam about. They always caused danger on the roads. Sounding a car horn was the only way to get them to move. Furthermore, whilst there were quite a few traffic lights in the streets of Kathmandu, very few of them worked. This meant there was often confusion on the roads. The ban on using a car horn went ahead, and within a few weeks, the streets of Nepal’s capital were quieter – even though they were still just as busy.

There have been other benefits, too. Because of the ban, drivers are a little more careful when they drive. Fewer accidents have been reported. The local government believes their campaign has been a success and the horn ban will now be operated in other areas of Nepal.

Discover more about the damage caused by noise pollution.