Moradabad 2nd most noise polluted city globally: UNEP
- Category
Environment
- Published
5th Apr, 2022
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Context
The city of Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh is the second-most noise polluted city globally, according to a recent report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
Noise is classified as an air pollutant under the Air (Prevention and Control) of Pollution Act, 1981.
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About
Key-highlights of the Report
- The Frontier 2022 report mentions a total of 61 cities.
- The highest noise pollution of 119 db has been recorded in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh.
- Moradabad has recorded noise pollution of a maximum of 114 decibels (db).
- At third place is Pakistan’s capital Islamabad, where the noise pollution level has been recorded at 105 db.
- The report identifies 13 noise polluted cities in south Asia. Five of these, including Moradabad, are in India, which have recorded alarming levels of noise pollution:
- Kolkata (89 db)
- Asansol (89 db)
- Jaipur (84 db)
- Delhi (83 db)
WHO’s standard for noise pollution
- The World Health Organization (WHO) had recommended a 55 db standard for residential areas in the 1999 guidelines, while for traffic and business sectors, the limit was 70 db.
- The WHO set the limit of noise pollution on the road at 53 db in 2018, taking into account health safety.
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What is noise pollution?
- This kind of pollution cannot be seen, but it is present nonetheless, both on land and under the sea.
- Noise pollution is considered to be any unwanted or disturbing sound that affects the health and well-being of humans and other organisms.
- Sound is measured in decibels.
- There are many sounds in the environment, from
- rustling leaves (20 to 30 decibels)
- a thunderclap (120 decibels)
- wail of a siren (120 to 140 decibels)
- Sounds that reach 85 decibels or higher can harm a person’s ears.
- Sound sources that exceed this threshold include familiar things, such as power lawn mowers (90 decibels), subway trains (90 to 115 decibels), and loud rock concerts (110 to 120 decibels).
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Why is it a concern?
- The most common health problem it causes is Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL).
- Exposure to loud noise can also cause high blood pressure, heart disease, sleep disturbances, and stress.
- Traffic noise increases the risk of heart attack, heart failure and hypertension.
- A 1 decibel increase in daytime sound increased the risk of cardio (heart) and cerebrovascular (related to blood flow to the brain) diseases by 0.17 to 0.66 per cent.