A first, HSPCB takes up noise monitoring project in Faridabad

Tribune News Service

Bijendra Ahlawat

Faridabad, April 5

The Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) has launched a noise monitoring system project in the city for the first time.

HSPCB Regional Officer Sandeep Singh said while two monitoring devices had been installed, two others would be installed soon in the city.

It is learnt that two units of the system were recently made functional at the head office of the HSPCB in Sector 16-A and the ESIC hospital in the NIT area here. The department was looking for two more spots to install these devices, said an official.

He said these units would be recording the level of noise round the clock and would provide data related to noise pollution in the city.

A noise monitor was used to measure and evaluate the levels of the characteristics of various types of environmental noise. Complying with ISO 1996-2 standards, noise monitors were designed to assess primary noise sources such as road traffic, rail traffic, air traffic, and industrial plants, said an official.

The method of noise level monitoring involves using specialised equipment such as sound level meters or noise dosimeters to measure and quantify the intensity of sound in a given environment.

It is vital to monitor noise and vibration on construction and mining sites and in industries. The noise monitoring might play a critical role in preventing structural damage, enhancing worker safety, reducing community complaints and more, it was added.

Claiming that this was perhaps for the first time that such a system was being installed in the state, sources in the administration said it would help in monitoring noise levels in the city, which had emerged as one of the most polluted cities in the country.

“Loud noise or sounds that are higher than the normal are also a kind of pollution and have been adversely affecting hearing capacity and leading to ENT disorder among the residents, especially young children and the elderly,” said Dr Tarun, a physician based in the city.

He said noise above 70 decibels over a prolonged period of time might lead to hearing loss. He added that loud noise above 120 decibels could cause immediate harm and the noise pollution could be controlled by avoiding noisy leisure activities, opting for alternative means of transport such as bicycles or electric vehicles over fuel-powered vehicles, insulation of homes and offices with noise-absorbing materials and curbing honking on roads.

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