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| The Depth of Noise Pollution Crisis | | | Vijay Garg | 9/29/2025 10:48:12 PM |
| Monitoring mechanisms have been installed in major cities to curb noise pollution. Despite this, millions of people are still trapped in noise pollution. This is due to governance’s neglect of the environment and lack of political will. The National Ambient Noise Monitoring Network (NANMN) scheme, launched in 2011 by the Central Pollution Control Board and Ministry of Environment, was initially aimed at real-time monitoring of noise pollution by setting up seventy mechanical mechanisms across seven major metropolises of the country to enable appropriate policy interventions based on data. But there is no effect of this plan on the ground. The scheme started with thirty-five ‘real time monitoring stations’ in seven cities across the country. In the second and third phases of the scheme, it was said to be expanded with thirty-five new centres respectively, but by 2021-23 this mechanism reached only eight cities. including Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Lucknow and Bangalore. Oh. However, the ground reality is quite different. In cities like Uttar Pradesh capital Lucknow, the system has remained limited to a passive ‘dashboard’ where no noise pollution figures are being recorded in real time. No concrete policy action has emerged. In the centres where this mechanism is working properly, there are few initiatives to study data and formulate policies based on it. The recorded sound level in the three major calm areas under this scheme reached 65-70 decibels (A) per day, while the limit set by the World Health Organization is 40-50 decibels. That is, this mechanism has failed to lay the foundation for its original purpose and policy intervention. “Sound pollution in India has been steadily deepening as an invisible crisis, affecting not only human health but also biodiversity. According to the Central Pollution Control Board, sound levels reach an average of 65-75 decibels (A) during daytime in major cities across the country while remaining at 55-65 Decibels (a), adversely affecting sleep, stress and heart. A Lancet study found that staying between high sound levels increases the risk of heart disease by twenty percent while decreasing sleep quality by thirty percent. Approximately forty million people living in urban areas are exposed to excessive noise every day. The impact of noise pollution is not limited to humans According to a study by the Indian Wildlife Institute, birds such as common manas wake up frequently at night due to urban noise which affects their breeding behavior and social communication. Their tone characteristics diminish, affecting their identification and ability to match. The Sound Pollution (Regulation & Control) Act, 1986 exists at a policy level but its implementation is extremely weak Sound pollution is becoming not just an environmental issue, but a health emergency that needs to be linked with urgent policy, monitoring and public awareness. The Ministry of Environment described the scheme as a decisive step to tackle noise pollution in cities, but now it raises questions about what is the use of collecting only noise pollution data if it does not translate into public awareness and policy making. When monitoring is limited to recording only and action is absent, it’s clear that this mechanism records the echo of noise but takes silence towards a solution. Government monitoring mechanisms on urban noise pollution often remain confined to passive ‘dashboards’, while actual intervention is needed on the ground. According to a study in Europe, noise pollution is affecting the mental and physical health of millions of people, increasing high blood pressure, heart disease and sleep disorders. The full back of the National Green Tribunal recently banned the use of loudspeakers and public announcement systems in ‘Silence Zone’. The court directed the police and state government to ensure ‘identification and compliance of silent zones’ in areas surrounding educational institutions, hospitals and courts. The importance of innovation is growing in this context. Innovative ‘Yhack’ in DPIIT, funded by the Department of Science and Technology takes a citizen-focused approach different from traditional monitoring. It has developed an IoT hardware, which is already installed in the harness circuits of vehicles in six cities. The device records data such as the timing, location, duration of playing horns in real time (short, long, multi-horn) and vehicle speed along with statistics like driver’s age, education, experience and ha. June, 2022 IOT has completed nine projects in collaboration with government and private entities, collecting more than thirty-two lakh data from over a hundred vehicles. When government mechanisms remain opaque, innovation records the noise of ‘hypnotic’ vehicles which not only directs policy-making but also builds a solid foundation for behavioural change and public health
When government mechanisms remain opaque, innovation records the noise of ‘hypnotic’ vehicles, not only guiding policy-making but also laying a solid foundation for behavioural change and public health. Sound pollution in urban areas of India has remained above the standards set for decades, seriously affecting citizens’ mental and physical health. It’s not just limited to human life; urban noise is also affecting birds’ sleep and breeding behavior, disrupting ecological balance. Oh. This challenge is directly linked to the Sustainable Development Goals, especially health and safe cities. Current monitoring mechanisms often remain inactive or opaque. Even if the monitoring is active, its data are not being used. It is therefore necessary to combine technological innovations with effective policy interventions, urban planning reforms and community awareness in order to relieve urban life of pollution pressures and provide a solid and correct direction for development goals.
Author is a Retired Principal educational columnist Eminent Educationist street kour Chand MHR Malout Punjab |
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