High decibel noise deafens Hyderabad’s residents

HYDERABAD: Noise pollution levels in Hyderabad city have been on an alarming rise from 2019 to 2022, according to the Telangana State Pollution Control Board (SPCB).

According to environmentalist D. Narsimha Reddy, “The first factor contributing to noise pollution is that we do not have equipment and manufacturing standards to curb noise levels. Another factor is the lack of zonal and urban planning such as school zone, hospital zone etc.”

“If schools or hospitals are located in commercial areas, it is impossible to follow the norms. Urban planning must consider various zonal planning, keeping in mind zones such as commercial, residential or sensitive zones, which are otherwise ignored and hence the law cannot be implemented.” Narasimha Reddy added.

Interestingly, data for June was not available on the TSPCB website. Responding to this, TSPCB officials told Deccan Chronicle, “There is a delay in uploading the updated data as two stations are not working. The stations are under CPBC. We are unable to comprehend if it is due to system fault or connectivity issue.”

There are a number of reasons contributing to the noise pollution in the city such as vehicles, construction activities, multi-toned horns by vehicles.

 

UnSound pollution

What is allowed

Area                      Day        Night

Residential            55           45

Industrial              75           70

Commercial          65           55

Sensitive              50           45

What is recorded

Residential

Jubilee Hills         58.75     57.39

Tarnaka                52.30     59.96

Commercial

Abids               72.13   71.60

JNTU                69.90   68.21

Paradise          71.38   70.85.

Industrial

Sanathnagar    68.20   65.01

Jeedimetla      68.98   71.35

Gaddapotharam 70.30            71.48.

Sensitive area

Zoo Park          60.84   59.89

Gachibowli      63.82   60.83

*All units in decibels (dB)