Noise Pollution

Increasing urbanization and industrialization and high density of traffic in Punjab   has resulted in increased noise levels in the environment leading to noise pollution. Noise by definition is unwanted sound. What is pleasant to some ears may be extremely unpleasant to other, depending on a number of psychological factors. Noise pollution can be divided into two categories viz. Natural and man-made. Natural causes of noise pollution are air, noise, volcanoes, seas, rivers, exchanging voices of living organs including man and animals. Some of the chief causes of man made noise pollution are machines and modern equipment of various types, automobiles, trains, aero planes, use of explosive, bursting of firecracker and other things leading to noise pollution. Noise affects human life in many ways. It affects sleep, hearing, communication and mental health and physical health and finally the peace of living. It may even lead to madness in persons. However, noise, which is melodious whether natural or man-made, cannot always be considered as factors leading to pollution. 

The intensity of sound is measured in decibels(db). This is on logarithm scale which means that 50db sound would be ten times louder that 40db. Human ear is sensitive to an extremely wide range of intensity from 0 to 180 db, 0 db being the threshold of hearing, whereas 140 db marks the threshold of pain. Experts believe that continues noise level is excess of 90 db can cause loss of hearing and irreversible changes in nervous system. WHO has fixed 45 decibels as the safe noise level for a city, though the four metropolitan cities of Mumbai, New Delhi and Chennai, usually registered an average more than 90 decibels, while Mumbai is rated as the third noisiest city in the world (Source: CPCB). The Ambient air quality standards in respect of noise are as
 shown in  the bar graph.

 
Source CPCB

Noise is an inescapable by product of industrial environment, which is increasing very fast with the advancement in industrialization and urbanization. The Industries located in the residential areas such as the printing press, agro based industries, automobiles repairing, grinding mills etc are the main sources of community noise affecting public continuously living in the vicinity.

The ordinary citizens  particularly in Punjab and the Northern Plains compound the problem with their penchant for raucous wedding celebrations complete with marching bands that weave through city streets blasting away pop tunes all through the night. The practice of bursting fire-crackers on festivals and other holidays is also common as is the tendency to amplify all manner of religious celebrations at odd hours of the night. In  the State some  Gurudwaras, the use of loudspeakers is a daily occurrence, and in some towns, miked Sangeet sessions can start at 3 AM in the morning. 

Till very recently there was no specific legislation in India to deal with the problem due to excessive noise. Keeping in view the serious health hazard due from noise the Government thought it fit to enact a special law in regulation to control Noise pollution. The enactment of the Noise Regulation Rules 2000 under Sec. 3 of Environmental Protection Act, 1986, is seen as a comprehensive legislation in controlling the increase of the noise level in Industrial(75 db) commercial (65db)  and residential zones (55 db). The Rules have prescribed different level of noise in these areas, and have entrust the DC of the district to be the regulatory authority for its strict implementation. The Rules mention the creation of silence zones to define the 100 meters from school, courts, educational institutions and hospitals. 

Recent Supreme Court rulings have acknowledged the gravity of the problem regarding Noise pollution. In Punjab, Police personnel are carrying the Supreme Court order in this regard as well as directing the management committees of religious places and owners of marriage palaces to ensure noise pollution does not take place on their premises. An assurance was also being taken that religious places and marriage palaces would not let any noise permeate to the outside of their premises.  All managements of religious places had been asked to tone down the volume of their speakers to ensure compliance with this order.

The Judicial response has been tremendous and appreciable, but the reality of ground remains unchanged. The Noise Regulation Rules fails to check noise in cinema theaters and other in-house public events or even for that matter disco shows and musical concerts. Moreover the rules are silent on noise from vehicles, which is regulated by the Motor Vehicles Act 1988. Only people’s movement might bring about this and it is time that people take this challenge.