NEW DELHI: Asking the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to expand its noise monitoring mechanism beyond seven cities, the NGT has directed it to prepare ‘noise pollution map’ of the entire country and identify city-specific hotspots for remedial action plan by June 15.
Currently, noise monitoring mechanism is functional in Delhi, Mumbai (including Navi Mumbai and Thane), Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Lucknow.
“The CPCB may consider setting up such mechanism in all the cities (across the country) which are found to be having noise level above approved threshold,” said the Tribunal’s principal bench, headed by its chairperson justice Adarsh Kumar Goel, in its order on March 15 while asking the Board to prepare the ‘noise pollution map’ and propose a remedial action plan within three months.
The CPCB, in its analysis report of ambient noise level data of 2011-14 period for these seven cities, had observed maximum violations of prescribed limits in Mumbai followed by Lucknow, Hyderabad, Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru and Kolkata.
Noting adverse effects of noise pollution on human health, especially infants and senior citizens, the NGT asked the state pollution control boards (PCBs) to undertake noise level monitoring in conjunction with the police departments and take remedial action.
“The police departments of all the states/UTs may obtain the noise monitoring devices within a period of three months and specification of such devices may be finalised in consultation with the respective state PCBs or pollution control committees,” said the NGT.
The Tribunal in its order also asked the CPCB to explore the possibility, in consultation with leading manufacturers of public address systems and other manufacturers of such instruments, to manufacture such equipment wherein noise meters with data loggers are fitted so that as and when the prescribed parameters are violated, the same gets recorded and retrieved by the regulators for fixing the responsibility on the violators.
According to the CPCB report, the noise pollution refers to sounds in the environment that are caused by humans and that threaten the health or welfare of human or animal inhabitants.
“The most common source of noise pollution by far, the one that affects the most people on the planet, is motor vehicles. Aircraft and industrial machinery are also major sources. Additional noise pollution is contributed by office machines, sirens, power tools, and other equipment,” said the Board’s 2016 report on ‘status of ambient noise level in India’.
The NGT had come out with its order on noise pollution while considering a different issue related to the CPCB on air pollution under the National Clean Air Programme. It had taken up the issue suo motu, based on a TOI report.
By Vishwa Mohan
