NOISE POLLUTION REPORT BY UNEP

Recently released United Nations Environment Programme report titled Annual Frontiers Report 2022 became controversial on account of the mention of a single city, Moradabad of Uttar Pradesh.
The Frontiers report identifies and offers solutions to three environmental issues: urban noise pollution, wildfires and phenological shifts that merit attention and action from governments and the public at large to address the triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss.

Controversy

The report compiles studies about noise levels in several cities around the world and illustrates a subset of 61 cities and the range of dB (decibel) levels that have been measured.
Delhi, Jaipur, Kolkata, Asansol and Moradabad are the five Indian cities mentioned in this list.
Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh was shown as having a dB range from 29 to 114.
At a maximum value of 114, it was the second-noisiest city in the list.
While road traffic, industry and high population density are well-known factors associated with high dB levels, the inclusion of Moradabad appeared strange because similar studies in the past had never suggested it to be an unusually noisy city.
The first was Dhaka, Bangladesh at a maximum value of 119 dB.

Measurements of Noise

The latest 2018 World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines established a health-protective recommendation for road traffic noise levels of 53 dB.
The Frontiers report compiled a host of evidence, including the adverse effects of noise on public health, which range from mild and temporary distress to severe and chronic physical impairment.
Estimates suggest that in Europe 22 million and 6.5 million people suffer from chronic noise annoyance and sleep disturbance, respectively.
The elderly, pregnant women and shift workers are among those at risk of noise-induced sleep disturbance.
Noise-induced awakenings can trigger a range of physiological and psychological stress responses because sleep is necessary for hormonal regulation and cardiovascular functioning.
Traffic noise exposure is a risk factor for the development of cardiovascular and metabolic disorders such as elevated blood pressure, arterial hypertension, coronary heart disease and diabetes.
Long-term exposure to environmental noise contributes to 48,000 new cases of ischemic heart disease and causes 12,000 premature deaths annually in Europe.

Noise Pollution in India

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.
The agency 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.

SOURCE: THE HINDU,THE ECONOMIC TIMES,MINT

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