VIJAYAWADA : The average level of noise pollution is on the rise across the State. The real-time noise pollution monitoring units in the three smart cities of the State has revealed an alarming picture. Less than a week ahead of the World Noise Awareness Day, the officials of the Pollution Control Board are all set to conduct a major awareness drive.
Visakhapatnam is the noisiest city in the entire State, followed by Tirupati and Vijayawada. The average noise levels in these cities are increasing every year since 2013.
Though the tolerable standard of noise level is 50 decibels (dB), Visakhapatnam, Tirupati and Vijayawada are recording an average of 70-75 dB. From 2013 to 2016, the average increase in noise pollution is between 5-10 dB.
The AP Pollution Control Board (PCB) officials claim that noise pollution is on the rise due to the increase in number of vehicles in all the major cities across the State.
“The new State is on a rapid growth of human population with migrations resulting in the rise of vehicles. Vehicle honking is playing a major role in noise pollution. While human population is growing at 5 per cent, the vehicular population is increasing by 15 to 20 per cent,” explained N Subbarao, Director of APPCB.
At times, the residential areas of Vijayawada city like Suryaraopet, Labbipet, Governorpet and Seethanagaram are touching the 80 decibel-mark. Industrial areas like Autonagar and RTC Complex are crossing 85 dB on weekdays. Tirupati and Visakhapatnam are also experiencing noise pollution ranging between 80-85 dB.
The silent and sensitive zones exist nowhere in the State except for Indira Gandhi Zoological Park where an average noise of 50 dB is recorded.
Educational institutions, hospitals and courts are marked as ‘silent zones’, but the category cannot be maintainable as they are scattered unlike developed countries. The situation is rather worse near schools and colleges located in prime locations of the city.
The ‘silence zone’ is referred to as areas up to 100 m around these educational institutions, hospitals and courts, and declared as such by the competent authority. Use of vehicular horns is banned in the zones.
The daytime standard limit is 50 dB and 40 dB in the nights. Unfortunately, the noise level is high at 65 dB in these silent zones across the State.
Meanwhile, physicians are expressing deep concern over the alarming rise in noise pollution, for human ear can tolerate a maximum of 70 dB for a span of 2-3 hours in an entire day.
“Noise pollution is suffering of ears and it impacts heart and brain, which might lead to severe chronic disorders. Vehicle honking is one of the main reasons behind the increase in heart attacks.
The public should realise the necessity of ‘not sounding horn’ and spread a healthy environment,” said Dr S Prabhakar, ENT specialist from Vijayawada.