Khandoji Baba Chowk records highest noise pollution

Pune: Data collected in the city on Ganesh Visarjan day revealed that noise levels on Laxmi Road were nearly twice as high as the standard limit. On Thursday, Khaduji Baba Chowk recorded the highest noise level in Pune at 129.8 decibels (dB), while the lowest noise level was recorded at the same place at 49 dB in the early morning hours.

Noise pollution is a major concern during the Ganesh immersion procession in the city. Excessive use of loudspeakers by Ganesh Mandals harms the health of citizens especially those who are exposed to such loud noise for long periods. In recent years, dhol-tasha pathaks once considered a less harmful solution for loudspeakers, also emitted the same amount of noise as the loudspeakers.

To keep records of noise levels, during the immersion procession, noise level readings were recorded.

The Department of Applied Sciences and Humanities at the College of Engineering Pune, Technical University (COEP) conducted a noise pollution exercise on Laxmi Road at ten different places.

Under the supervision of Department head Mahesh Shindikar, students from the college took part in this exercise. On September 28 and 29, the noise level was measured.

The average noise level was 105.2 dB, which is 40-50 decibels above the standard limit. According to the COEP data, the noise level was greater during the night of Thursday, September 28, and the early morning hours of Friday, September 29.

Reacting to the same, Ketan Khurana, a Pune resident said, “I went to Laxmi Road to see the grand procession on Thursday along with my friends, the music was so loud as always, and some songs that were played were not appropriate for the occasion. “

The noise level in Pune was recorded above 100 decibels for two consecutive years, according to past data on noise levels during impression procession provided by COEP. Since 2015, the noise level in the city has been higher than the standard limit, but it was within 100 decibels in most areas. However, the majority of areas recorded noise levels above 100 decibels this year as well.

Mahesh Shindikar from COEP said, “The department has been conducting the noise monitoring exercise for the past 13 years. This year, we repeated the exercise at ten different spots along Laxmi Road. Every 4 hours, the noise was captured using spatiotemporal and scientific approaches, and the data proved that it noise levels exceeded standard limits at all places. We also observed that citizens have become more aware of noise pollution and many of them also supported us in this exercise.”

The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) also recorded noise levels at 18 different locations in Pune city; and as per their data, the Shivajinagar area near Sugar Complex recorded the highest 99.4 decibel noise level on Thursday.