Noise level on rise: Angry drivers deafening Hyderabad city
Noise levels routinely crossing permissible levels across major traffic junctions.
Hyderabad: Panjagutta, Abids, Rasoolpura, RTC crossroads and Charminar, which are choc-a-block with traffic, are also the noisiest junctions in the city. While the accepted noise level at the crossroads is 65 decibels, it often crosses an ear-busting 75 decibels at these places.
The primary cause is honking — by impatient motorists who lack traffic sense. The problem is then compounded by poor traffic management. And the ongoing Hyderabad Metro Rail work just adds to the chaos.
At the Clock Tower junction in Hyderabad, road digging works add to the noise of drivers honking and the sound level is 20 per cent higher than normal. Mr W.B. Prasanna, professor in climate and disaster management, believes honking by motorists is to blame.
“It is due to the indiscriminate honking by drivers even when they see that traffic is moving slowly.” Besides, engines of vehicles that are stuck in slow traffic produce a louder sound. A dozen crawling vehicles simply add to the already loud urban environment. Poorly maintained engines too add to the noise.
The Paradise, JNTU, Abids and Punjagutta junctions are considered to be commercial areas where the permitted noise limits are 65 dB in the day and 55 dB at night. But the levels peaked at 80 dB during the day and a stunning 75 decibels at night.
At the residential areas in Jubilee Hills and Tarnaka, noise was recorded at 61 dB against the standard of 55 dB. At the Nehru Zoological Park, a sensitive area where the limit is set at 50 dB during the day and 40 dB at night, noise was recorded at 59 dB and 55 dB respectively.
Deputy commissioner of police, traffic, A.V. Ranganath said traffic blocking the free left was one of the causes of noise pollution. Drivers intending to go left honk to try and get the vehicles to move ahead.
“When the signal lights turn green, motorists who are behind assume the response of the drivers in front is either slow or think the driver has not noticed the signal changing and start honking,” he said. Vehicles taking a slow U-turn amid traffic and blocking the path of other drivers or broken-down vehicles also raises the motorists’ ire and result in incessant honking.
Poor traffic management or signals suddenly going off also result in additional noise. Mr Ranganath said the traffic department has no mechanism to detect violators. “The police is studying measures to control air pollution caused by vehicle,” he said. But he noted that those creating noise pollution can be booked under Section 177 of the Motor Vehicles Act.