Labonnya Liza , Dhaka — Following the success of Artificial Intelligence (AI) cameras in bringing order to Dhaka’s roads through automated traffic fines, authorities are now preparing to deploy the same cutting-edge technology to curb the city’s skyrocketing noise pollution.
Sources from the Department of Environment (DoE), Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), and the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) confirmed the development. At a joint workshop held on Monday at the DMP Headquarters auditorium, experts urged authorities to fast-track the implementation of AI-driven prosecution to penalize erratic honking.
“AI technology is already being used globally to monitor and prevent noise pollution. When a vehicle honks in a designated ‘Quiet Zone,’ the AI system can automatically detect it,” DMP Additional Commissioner (Traffic) Md. Anisur Rahman told media.
He added, “We have already initiated discussions regarding this technology. If the Department of Environment or any other government agency installs these devices, it will significantly streamline our enforcement. While it is currently in the discussion phase, implementing it will yield great success.”
The Additional Commissioner also noted that since the Noise Pollution Control Rules 2025 empowered the traffic police to issue fines, the DMP’s traffic division has been working aggressively to control noise pollution—the benefits of which citizens will start experiencing gradually.
Meanwhile, stakeholders warned that vehicular noise pollution in the capital is reaching critical levels. During a public awareness campaign marking World Environment Day on June 5, Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Administrator Md. Shafiqul Islam Khan warned of strict consequences for unnecessary honking around the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport area, which has been officially declared a ‘Quiet Zone.’
The DNCC, in collaboration with local residential societies, is also actively working to turn Gulshan, Banani, Niketan, and Baridhara into noise- and air-pollution-free zones.