NOISE POLLUTION

REDUCE NOISE POLLUTION FOR HEALTHY LIVING

MANDATE
Noise is defined as unwanted sound. Sound, which pleases the listeners, is music and that which causes
pain and annoyance is noise. At times, what is music for some can be noise for others.
Section 2 (a) of the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 includes noise in the definition of
air pollutant. Section 2(a) air pollution means any solid, liquid or gaseous substance including noise
present in the atmosphere such concentration as may be or tent to injurious to human beings or other
living creatures or plants or property or environment.
Further, for better regulation for noise pollution, there are The Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control)
Rules, 2000 under The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
The main functions of the Central Pollution Control Board are as follows:
* To advise the Central Government on any matter concerning the prevention, control and abatement of
noise pollution.
* To plan and cause to be executed a nation-wide programme for the prevention, control, and abatement
of noise pollution.
* To provide technical assistance and guidance to the State Pollution Control Board.
* To carry out and sponsor investigations and research related to prevention, control and abatement of
noise pollution.
* To collect, compile, and publish technical and statistical data related to noise pollution; and
* To lay down and annul standards for the quality of noise.
The main functions of the State Pollution Control Boards are as follows:
* To plan a comprehensive programme for prevention, control, and abatement of noise pollution and to
secure the execution thereof;
* To advise the State Government on any matter concerning prevention, control, and abatement of noise
pollution.
* To collect and disseminate information related to noise pollution.
* To collaborate with Central Pollution Control Board in programme related to prevention, control, and
abatement of noise pollution; and
* To inspect noise pollution control areas, assess quality of noise and to take steps for prevention, control
and abatement of noise pollution in such areas.
OBJECTIVE
Due to the deleterious effects on human health and psychological well-being of the people because of the
increasing ambient noise levels in public places from various sources, inter-alia, industrial activity,
construction activity, fire crackers, sound producing instruments, generator sets, loud speakers, public
address systems, music systems, vehicular horns, and other mechanical devices, it is considered necessary
to regulate and control noise producing and generating sources with the objective of maintaining the
ambient air quality standards in respect of noise.
Ambient air quality standards in respect of noise :
Area Code

Category of Area / Zone

Limits in dB(A) Leq*

Day Time

Night Time

(A)

Industrial area

75

70

(B)

Commercial area

65

55

(C)

Residential area

55

45

(D)

Silence zone

50

40

Note:
1. Day time shall mean from 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM
2. Night time shall mean from 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM
3. Silence zone is an area comprising not less than 100 metres around hospitals, educational institutes,
courts, religious places, or any other area which is declared as such by the competent authority.
4. Mixed categories of areas may be declared as one of the four above mentioned categories by the
competent authority.
*dB(A) Leq denotes the time weighted average of the level of sound in decibels on scale Awhich is
relatable to human hearing.
A decibel is a unit in which noise is measured.
A, in dB(A) Leq, denotes the frequency weighting in the measurement of noise and corresponds to
frequency response characteristics of the human ear.
Leq: It is energy mean of the noise level over a specified period.
MONITORING NETWORK
To comply with The Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000, ambient noise inclusion as
an environmental quality parameter and its monitoring in specified urban areas is regularly needed.
Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) established theNational Ambient Noise Monitoring Network
(NANMN) covering 70 locations in 7 metro cities viz. Delhi, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai,
Chennai, and Bangalore spread over 7 states viz. Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, West Bengal,
Maharashtra, Tamilnadu, and Karnataka. In observance to The Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control)
Rules, 2000, CPCB needs continuous monitoring of noise quality in the country. Keeping this fact in
mind, CPCB has established a network of noise quality monitoring stations under NANMN.
Monitoring Station under the National Ambient Noise Monitoring Network Programme (NANMN)
At present, under NANMN 70 continuous monitoring stations are established, 10 in each of seven
identified cities i.e. Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore, Chennai, Lucknow and Hyderabad.
Cities

Delhi

Bangalore

Continuous monitoring stations under the National

Ambient Noise Monitoring Network Programme
(NANMN)

Category of Area

Dilshad Garden

Silence

CPCB, HQ

Commercial

DCE, Bawana

Silence

ITO

Commercial

NSIT, Dwarka

Silence

Civil lines

Commercial

R.K. Puram

Silence

Anand Vihar

Commercial

Mandir Marg

Silence

Punjabi Bagh

Residential

Bangalore, BTM

Residential

Marathali

Commercial

NisargaBhawan

Residential

Parisar Bhawan

Commercial

Chennai

Hydrabad

Kolkata

Lucknow

Peeniya

Industrial

Yeshwanthpur

Commercial

R.V.C.E.

Silence

Whitefield

Industrial

NIMHANS

Silence

Dolmur

Residential

Eye Hospital

Silence

Guindy

Industrial

Perambur

Commercial

T Nagar

Commercial

Triplicane

Residential

Pallikaranai

Commercial

Velachery

Residential

Warhermanpet

Commercial

Anna Nagar

Silence

Sowcarpet

Residential

ABITS

Commercial

Jeedimetla

Industrial

Jublee Hills

Residential

Zoo

Silence

Punjagutta

Commercial

Tarnka

Residential

Gaddapotharam

Industrial

Gachibowli

Silence

Paradise

Commercial

JNTU

Commercial

Gol Park

Industrial

New Market

Commercial

Patauli

Residential

SSKM Hospital

Silence

WBPCB Head Quarter

Commercial

Birati Neelanchal

Residential

R G Kar

Silence

Tolly Gunge

Commercial

Bag Bazar

Residential

Taratala

Industrial

Talkatora

Industrial

HajratGanj

Commercial

Mumbai

P.G.I

Silence

Indira Nagar

Residential

Gomti Nagar

Silence

Chinhat

Industrial

IT College

Silence

RSC Aliganj

Commercial

Vibhuti Khand

Residential

CSS Airport

Commercial

ASHP

Silence

Bandra

Commercial

MPCB, HQ

Commercial

Thane

Commercial

VASHI Hospital (Navi Mumbai)

Silence

Kandivali

Industrial

Powai

Industrial

Mumbai, Chembur

Residential

Mumbai, Andheri

Industrial

Mumbai Ambassador Hotel

Commercial

FINDINGS
The noise quality data is available at:
http://cpcbenvis.nic.in/noise_quality_data.html.
Trends in noise quality across the country since 2011 depict a picture that,
Industrial zones strictly follow the noise regulation and control rules, as none of the industrial location
across the country is violating the limits prescribed, both during day and night time.
Commercial zone monitoring locations show a mixed pattern as some of the stations have recorded high
noise levels while some are well under prescribed limits.
Residential zones also show similar pattern as of the commercial zones. The situation is miserable where
the night time violation is much higher as compared to day time noise pollution, for e.g. in Kolkata.
Silence zones are the areas which are exposed to severe noise pollution during all the time. All the noise
monitoring locations in silence zones across the country show gross violation of the prescribed limits both
during day and night time. Notably, most of the silence zones are around hospitals which are under
serious threat of noise pollution.
World Health Organization (WHO) GUIDELINES
WHO GUIDELINES FOR NOISE QUALITY
In WHO noise quality guidelines, values are summarized with regard to specific environments and
effects. For each environment and situation, the guideline values take into consideration the identified
health effects and are set, based on the lowest levels of noise that affect health (critical health effect).
Guideline values typically correspond to the lowest effect level for general populations, such as those for
indoor speech intelligibility. Noise guideline values are for the onset of health effects from noise
exposures.
Specific environment

Time Base
(hours)

Standard limits as per WHO

guidelines
LAeq [dB]

LAmax, fast

[dB]
Outdoor living area

16

50 55

Dwelling, indoors,
Inside bedrooms

16
8

35
30

45

Outside bedrooms

45

60

School class rooms and pre-schools, indoors

During class

35

Pre-school bedrooms, indoors

Sleeping time

30

45

School, playground outdoor

During play

55

Hospital, ward rooms, indoors

8
16

30
30

40
-

Hospitals, treatment rooms, indoors

As low as
possible

Industrial, commercial, shopping and traffic areas,

indoors and outdoors

24

70

110

Ceremonies, festivals and entertainment events

100

110

Public addresses, indoors and outdoors

85

110

Music through headphones/earphones

85 (under
headphones,
adapted to freefield values)

110

Impulse sounds from toys, fireworks and firearms

120-140 (peak
sound pressure
(not LAmax,
fast), measured
100 mm from
the ear)

Outdoors in parkland and conservation areas

Existing quiet
outdoor areas
should b e
preserved and
the ratio of
intruding noise
to natural
background
sound should be
kept low

References:
Guidelines for community noise, World Health Organization, 1995.