HYDERABAD: Hyderabad’s designated silence zones are failing to stay silent, with several locations recording noise levels well above WHO recommendations and India’s permissible limits, according to Telangana Pollution Control Board (TGPCB) data from January to July 2026. Noise levels touched 71 dB, nearly 20 dB above the 50 dB daytime limit for silence zones.
TGPCB monitors noise at 10 stations across residential, commercial, industrial and silence zones. The WHO recommends average road traffic noise below 53 dB during the day and 45 dB at night. However, several residential, commercial and silence zones exceeded these levels.
Among residential areas, Jubilee Hills recorded 56.7-70.5 dB during the day and 52.2-57.3 dB at night, while Tarnaka recorded 58.2-60.8 dB and 58.2-59.6 dB, respectively. In commercial areas, JNTU consistently recorded 69-71 dB during the day, exceeding India’s 65 dB limit. Abids also breached the prescribed nighttime commercial limit during several months.
Silence zones recorded similar breaches. Zoo Park registered 54-62 dB during the day and up to 68 dB at night, against limits of 50 dB and 40 dB, respectively. The University of Hyderabad recorded 68-71 dB during the day and 67-70 dB at night.
Increasing vehicle numbers, unnecessary honking and construction activity remain major contributors to noise pollution. “In 2020, traffic authorities experimented with measures to combat noise pollution, including acoustic cameras at traffic signals,” said Lokendra Singh, popularly known as the Hyderabad Traffic Man. The cameras detected noise from individual vehicles and automatically issued challans when permissible limits were exceeded, but the system was discontinued after the Covid-19 pandemic.
Lokendra said public awareness was as important as enforcement. “Around 70% of road noise is due to honking, most of which is unnecessary. Educating the public about this issue could solve at least 50% of the problem,” he said.
Environmentalist Prof Purshottam Reddy said noise pollution receives less attention than air and water pollution. “It is critical that authorities and research institutions focus on this area to develop effective mitigation strategies,” he said, recommending more green spaces as trees and vegetation can act as natural noise barriers.
Health experts warned that prolonged exposure to excessive noise is associated with poor sleep, anxiety, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, reduced productivity and impaired learning among children. They recommended restricting construction hours, curbing unnecessary honking, protecting silence zones, improving traffic management, and continuously monitoring and publicly disclosing location-specific noise data.