The key takeaways of a UNEP report on noise pollution

What is the News?

The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has released a report titled ‘Frontiers 2022: Noise, Blazes and Mismatches’. The report measured noise levels in 61 cities of the world.

Click here to read the findings of the report

What is the controversy with this report?

The report has listed Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh as the second-noisiest city in the world. Other Indian cities which recorded a higher decibel than the permissible levels were Delhi, Kolkata and Asansol in West Bengal and Jaipur.

However, the inclusion of Moradabad as the second-noisiest city in the world appeared strange because:

Firstly, similar studies in the past had never suggested it to be an unusually noisy city. 

Secondly, measuring noise levels usually involves measurements in different parts of the city: residential areas, industrial areas and commercial places during the day and night. But the source of this report is based on an average of measurements reported from a factory in an industrial zone.

Thirdly, the author of the chapter of the report has also said that inferring Moradabad to be the ‘second-noisiest city’ was incorrect because the list of cities whose noise values were illustrated were only indicative.

What is Noise Pollution?

Click Here to read about it

How does India tackle noise pollution?

The Central Pollution Control Board(CPCB) is mandated to track noise levels, set standards as well as ensure via their State units that sources of excessive noise are controlled. 

CPCB has a manual monitoring system where sensors are installed in major cities and few cities have the facility to track noise levels in real-time. 

The CPCB also measures noise levels before and after Diwali in major cities to publicize the impact of firecrackers.

Source: This post is based on the article “The key takeaways of a UNEP report on noise pollution” published in The Hindu on 4th April 2022.