Noise pollution issue lacking focus
The Mumbai Police have come up with a unique initiative, where traffic lights stay red if the noise level is above 85 decibels. This is to make motorists stop honking unnecessarily at traffic junctions. But Mumbai is not the noisiest city in the country. That position is occupied by Chennai, according to a recent study by the Central Pollution Control Board. Chennai has a daytime average noise level of 67.8 decibel, much higher than the accepted standard of 55 decibel. Not just Chennai, almost every city in India has recorded noise levels way higher than what is considered acceptable. The primary reason is the lack of focus. While authorities and environmentalists have dedicated their efforts in dealing with air and water pollution, precious little has been done for noise, at least in India.
The Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000 provide a road map for noise control, but seldom are its provisions put to use. Not just that, considering the change in the country’s technological and transportation landscape, the rules are proving to be largely inadequate. The rules ban honking in silence zones—though the ban is seldom enforced—but they do not put any restrictions on the type of horn used in vehicles. Realising the shortcoming, the CPCB in 2017 decided to ban musical, multi-toned and pressure horns in metro cities. This is also barely implemented. While air horns and pipe horns are banned from use, they are openly sold in auto shops across cities.
In comparison, developed nations have prescribed standards for horns in vehicles and rules for when drivers can honk. “A horn should not be sounded when stationary on a road at any time, other than at times of danger due to another vehicle on or near the road. A horn should not be used on a moving vehicle on a restricted road (one that has street lights and a 30mph limit) between the times of 11:30 pm and 7:00 am,” says the UK law. What India needs more than ranking cities in terms of noise is a comprehensive policy to help authorities deal with the menace before it gets out of hand, as is the case with air and water.