Noise
Noise pollution-defined as unwanted or disturbing sound that can have deleterious effects on human health, wildlife, and environmental quality. Noise pollution is dangerous; it has negative long-term impacts on humans, marine life, and terrestrial life and hampers biodiversity. Noise pollution also disturbs the environment as it scares away the animals and birds from a particular area, disturbing the ecological balance. CPCB, State/UT pollution control boards, Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) in consultation with National Committee on Noise Pollution Control formulate and revise the Ambient noise standards.
Ambient Noise Standards in India:
|
Area Code
|
Category of Area
|
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 is reckoned in between 10 AM to 6 PM.
2. Night time is reckoned in between 10 PM to 6 AM.
3. Silence zone is defined as areas upto 100 meters and around such premises as hospitals, educational institutions and courts. The Silence zones are to be declared by the Competent Authority.
4. Use of vehicular horns, loudspeakers and bursting of crackers shall be banned in Silence zones areas.
5. Mixed categories of areas should be declared as one of the four above mentioned categories by the Competent Authority and the corresponding standards shall apply.
* dB(A) Leq denotes the time weighted average of the level of sound in decibels on scale A which 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 characterstics of the human ear.
Leq: It is an energy mean of the noise level over a specified period.