The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) just got around to listening to the ambient noise levels in Old Washermenpet, Shenoy Nagar, Sowcarpet, Velachery and Pallikaranai.
Noise level-monitoring equipment has been installed at these locations and trials are on. The cost of the equipment (Rs. 70 lakh) has been shared by CPCB and the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB).
Sources in TNPCB explained that noise levels would be recorded by a microphone and the data sent to a computer that would analyse the levels. The recording will be done 24x7.and the data transferred to the CPCB server every five seconds.
‘Noise exceeds norms’An expert on noise pollution said data analysis showed that, most of the time, noise levels exceeded the prescribed limits.
“For instance, the noise from a 625-kva generator is 85 decibels. Similarly, the sound from fabrication units touches 67 decibels and in restaurants, during the night, the maximum touches 62 dB. These are all above standards. But in a city with a population of around 70 lakh there will be noise everywhere, even in silence zones that include areas around hospitals and schools,” he said, adding that it was up to residents and commercial establishments to bring down noise levels.
“Industrial noise is kept under control by the authorities,” he said.
The standard for residential areas is 55 dB during the day and 45 dB at night and, for commercial areas, 65dB during the day and 55 dB at night. In silence zones, the prescribed limits are 50dB and 40 dB, during the day and night, respectively.
The new monitoring equipment is in addition to five others installed at Triplicane, Egmore, Guindy, Perambur and T. Nagar in 2011-12.
