By Chilukuri Priyanka, Jasmine Kaur and Sapana Maurya
"Of all the varieties of modern pollution, noise is the most insidious" - Robert Lacey
via Times of India
Noise is an unwanted, loud and unpleasant sound and pollution is the presence of anything harmful for the environment. Noise pollution hence, is the regular exposure to unwanted sounds or elevated sound levels in our environment that can have deleterious effects on the health of humans and animals. In order to understand the presence and impact of noise, we can simply become silent for a minute and listen. You would realise that in the city, you will rarely find absence of noise.
Not all types of sounds can be labelled as noise pollution. The World health Organisation defines
noise above 65 decibels(dB) as noise pollution. Noise levels above 75 dB are harmful and above 120 dB can cause serious health issues.
Causes of Noise Pollution:
Noise pollution is ubiquitous and is caused by various social phenomena:
Industrialization: Most of the industries incorporate big machines which produce a lot of noise. Equipment like compressors, generators, exhaust fans, grinding mills also contribute to noise. Despite precautionary measures taken by workers, chronic exposure to high levels of noise might damage their hearing in the long run.
Traffic noise: City traffic is not only a source of air pollution but also the biggest source of noise pollution. The horns by cars produce a sound of around 90dB and a bus horn is as loud as 100 dB.
Air traffic noise: The air traffic above cities is less than the number of cars on city roads, but its impact is much greater. A single aircraft produces 130dB of noise.
Construction sites: Building construction, road construction etc. are also a major contributor of city noise. Machines such as rotary kilns, pneumatic drills etc. may produce a noise as high as 150 dB.
Dining Places: Bars, restaurants, pubs and clubs produce up to 120 dB of noise.
Religious functions: In India, most religious ceremonies, processions and functions involve use of loudspeakers that are a regular contributor of noise.
Weddings and other ceremonies: Wedding receptions usually play loud music till late night which can be a big source of noise pollution.
Impact on Human Health:
Noise pollution affects all forms of life on the earth from ocean creatures to humans. The damaging
effect of noise is overlooked by many but it induces both physical and mental health effects like
sleep disturbance, increased stress levels, hearing damage, anxiety and impacts the performance of the individuals. Human brain stays alert to protect themselves from any danger or damage. Though a person’s sensitivity to stress improves with continuous exposure to noise pollution. Noise pollution can have serious effects on mental health too. People tend to feel angry and frustrated when they are exposed to noise pollution as they feel lack of control on the noise in the surroundings which further intensifies their impact on mental health and to cope they may adopt maladaptive mechanisms which further affects their health.
Sleep is essential for human health. Noise Pollution makes it difficult to sleep properly and affects
the quality of sleep which has a direct effect on a person's mood and concentration abilities. Loud noise can lead to hearing impairment, abnormal loudness perception, tinnitus and distorted hearing.
Noise Pollution also temporarily increases blood pressure and blood viscosity, stress hormone levels
and also have an effect on the nervous system. There is a correlation between noise pollution and
cardiovascular diseases too. All these lead to various diseases apart from hearing related problems.
Relatively, children are more vulnerable to noise induced hearing loss and exposure to more than 8
hours in a day could lead to permanent hearing changes in children. Noise Pollution can affect
foetuses, infants and adolescents and it also affects the children’s learning abilities and cognitive
performance. With the chronic exposure to sound, there is a chance of developing high blood
pressure.
via Healthline
Impact on Animals and Marine Life
Animals suffer more than humans because of noise pollution due to their more dependency on
sound. They have a better sense of hearing than us. Human-made noise affects a wide range of
animals. We all must have witnessed that pets react more aggressively in the presence of constant
noise.
Noise can make animals disoriented and cause many behavioural problems in them. They may suffer from hearing loss, making them an easy prey and leading to a decrease in their population or they can become inefficient at hunting, affecting the balance in the ecosystem. Animals that are dependent on mating calls for reproduction may not be able to hear these calls due to excessive noise. This way, they are unable to reproduce and their population declines. Some need sound waves to find the way during migration. Disrupting their sound signals will make it difficult to
migrate when they should.
Sound is a significant way of communication for marine creatures. It helps them to navigate, to protect and to find food as very low light seeps to depth. Hence, beyond an extent sound plays a
vital role for survival but the noise pollution caused by humans has become a problem to all marine
species and is posing a threat to ocean life by disrupting the communication leading to stranding of
whales, giant squids and disturbing the ecosystem.
via Australian Academy of Science
Studying and understanding the effects of noise on animals and finding alternatives by incorporating noise reduction technologies and alternatives to sonar is required to help to restore wildlife and to make the environment a better place to coexist.
Noise Pollution in Delhi:
via DNA India
Major sources of noise pollution in Delhi are industrial, aircraft, transportation and diesel generator
sets and acoustic enclosure is mandatory for the Diesel Generator sets. The Delhi government’s the permissible limit in day time for noise limit in residential area is 45- 55 decibel but the decibels recorded are double than the permissible limit. Central Pollution Control Board report published in 2017 shows the gap between the ambient noise standards in every metropolitan city in India including Delhi. With population density of 29,259.12 people per square mile and around 12 million registered motor vehicles in Delhi, the noise pollution affects both physically and mentally (as it has been discussed in the effects) which is a cause of concern.
As per the data submitted by Delhi Police to National Green Tribunal, 16 noise pollution violations
are recorded each day in Delhi. 70% of violations are by loudspeakers and public announcement
systems not following the prescribed noise standards. Construction equipment is the second source
of noise pollution. Online complaints of violation of noise norms can be given on the website
Ngms.delhi.gov.in or by calling the helpline 155271. As per the new noise pollution norms issued by Delhi Police Control Committee, violators have to pay between ₹10,000 and ₹1 lakh according to the norm they have not followed.
Noise pollution is an issue at Yamuna Biodiversity Park too, as birds communicate through
vocalisation which is helpful for mating and protecting themselves from predators and just a
difference in pitch helps them to identify, the noise pollution is leading to decrease in population as
they are easily predated and breeding is also affected (Dr. Fayad Hutzer, field biologist and scientist).
There is a need to raise awareness on noise pollution and its effects. Police are given the
enforcement responsibility, pollution authorities should take control of noise pollution issues as
police do not have expert knowledge and technical manpower to take action. More than 50% of
Delhi traffic police hearing is damaged considerably (as per the study done by Dr. Sarika Verma). It is necessary to ensure that vehicles are meeting the noise standards and are not exceeding them.
Noise standards have to be made more stringent and noise barriers should be placed wherever noise levels are really high to shield residential areas and other critical areas (Chandra Bhushan, Veteran Environmentalist ).
Government Policies and Acts to Reduce Noise Pollution
In India, the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act came into force in 1981, and was amended in 1987 to include noise as an air pollutant. The Union Government on 14 February 2000 enacted the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000 in exercise of its power conferred under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 to control the increasing ambient noise level in public places from various sources. The Noise Rules, 2000 were amended in 2010 to include the words 'fire crackers and sound producing instruments'. The CPCB (Central Pollution Control Board) is a statutory organisation of India that has laid down the permissible noise levels in India for different areas. In industrial areas, the permissible limit is 75 dB for daytime (6.00 a.m. to 10.00 p.m.) and 70 dB at night (10.00 p.m. to 6.00 a.m.) In commercial areas, it is 65 dB and 55 dB, while in residential areas it is 55 dB and 45 dB during daytime and night respectively.
Additionally, state governments have declared ‘silent zones’ which include areas that lie within 100
meters of the premises of schools, colleges, hospitals and courts. The permissible noise limit in this
zone is 50 dB during the day and 40 dB during the night. The National Green Tribunal (NGT), established in 2010, as per the National Green Tribunal Act is a specialised judicial body equipped with expertise solely for the purpose of adjudicating environmental cases in the country. Main function of the tribunal is to provide effective and expeditious remedy in cases related to the environment.
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) in 2020 has directed the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to prepare a noise pollution map (identifying hotspots and categorize the cities with specified hotspots) and propose a remedial action plan to solve the issue across the country. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has cleared hefty penalties for violation of noise pollution norms, proposed by the Central Pollution Control Board, which may go up to Rupees 1 lakh.
Some restrictions are stated as –
● A loud speaker or a public address system shall not be used except after obtaining written
permission from the authority. Violation of norms can result in the confiscation of
equipment and a fine of Rupees 10,000.
● Similarly, violating noise pollution norms over the use of diesel generator sets can result in
sealing of the sets and a fine between Rupees 10,000 and Rupees 100,000 depending on the
size of the set.
● No horn shall be used in silence zones or during night time in residential areas except during
a public emergency. Sound emitting fire crackers are also said to not be used in silence zones
or during night time.
● Sound emitting construction equipment shall not be used or operated during night time in
residential areas and silence zones. Violations in cases of sound-emitting construction
equipment can result in a fine of Rupees 50,000 and its seizure or sealing.
● The central board had also proposed heavy penalties for bursting firecrackers under the
direction of NGT. Sound emitting firecrackers shall not be burst in silence zones or during
night time in each zone. A person can be fined Rupees 1,000 for bursting crackers in a
residential area and Rupees 3,000 in a silence zone. The fine for the same offence in a public
rally or procession (Baraat during marriage) or religious event would be Rupees 10,000 and
Rupees 20,000 for residential and silence zones respectively.
● In case of repeat violation within a fixed premise, the penalty will be doubled to Rupees
20,000. Second violation within fixed premises, will cost 40,000 to the defaulter. More than
two violations will cost the defaulter, a penalty of Rupees 1 lakh and sealing of premises.
Measures At Individual Level
● Trees are good noise absorbents. They also improve air quality and have various aesthetic
advantages. According to studies, it can reduce noise by 5 to 10 decibels around them. So
plant more trees around your house.
● There is a scheme called Green Muffler which involves planting green trees like Ashoka,
Neem, Tamarind and shrubs along roads, hospitals, educational institutions etc. to reduce
noise to a considerable extent.
● Keep your windows closed during busy hours of day. It will keep away annoying sounds.
● We can turn off home and office appliances when not in use such as TV, games, computers
etc. as it creates unnecessary stress on ears.
● Shut the Door when using noisy Machines. We can use noise absorbents in noisy machinery.
● Invest in Noise-Cancelling headphones. It can be proved useful for industrial & construction
workers.
● Use of earplugs or earmuffs can bring down loud noises to a manageable level. It is a cost-
effective solution. Earplugs are small inserts that fit into our ear canal. Earmuffs fit over the
entire outer ear to form an air seal, keeping ears safe from loud noises.
● Proper lubrication and better maintenance of machines can reduce noise at significant
levels.
● We can use automobile silencers to control noise from automobiles, ducts, exhausts etc.
● We can listen to songs, radios, TVs in lower volume when listening from headphones or
speakers.
● Noise producing industries and airports location should be kept very far from residential
areas as noises emitted from them can lead to deafness or impaired hearing.
● We can reduce noise by improving our insulation at home. It is an art of installing
soundproofing materials on walls, ceiling, windows etc.
● Community law should check the use of loudspeakers, outdoor parties as well as political
rallies and public announcements.
● There should be control on noise level (Silent zones) near schools and hospitals. Place noise
limits boards near sensitive areas.
● Use Noise absorbents in noisy machines.
● We can use proper lubrication in machines as lubrication reduces friction between movable
parts and helps to reduce noise.
● We can opt for bicycles or e-vehicles over taking the car. It reduces the noise from horns.
● Avoid very noisy leisure activities.
● At last, educating and creating awareness about noise pollution is the key step that should
be taken by each individual to beat this invisible enemy. It is the least we can do towards our
environment and mother nature.
via Bigrentz.com
We all must put a true effort to mitigate noise and make the quality of life better not just for us but
also for birds, animals and marine creatures as everyone is vulnerable to the effects of noise
pollution.
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