TOWARDS A QUIETER FUTURE: NOISE POLLUTION PRESPECTIVE AND ITS LEGAL IMPLICATIONS

Dr. PRASHANT MEHTA, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Science, National Law University, Jodhpur

Email: prashantmehta1@rediffmail.com

Noise by definition is unpleasant sound.

There are four common characteristics of sound, any, or all of which determine listener response and the subsequent definition of the sound as 'noise'. These characteristics are:

INTENSITY LOUDNESS ANNOYANCE OFFENSIVENESS

The basic unit of sound is the decibel.

A weighted sound level—or dBA—is a good measure of sound detectable by the human ear. An increase of three dBA would be just noticeable, an increase of five dBA would be clearly noticeable and an increase of 10 dBA would be twice as loud because the decibel scale is logarithmic.

WHAT IS NOISE?

WHAT IS NOISE POLLUTION?

The deafening crescendo of noise is one more facet of the awesome environmental crisis threatening to overwhelm mankind. Noise pollution is an unwanted sound.

WHAT ARE CAUSES OF NOISE POLLUTION?

Annoyance is caused when there is a sudden increases in volume of noise. Noise can interfere with speech and Noise can wake people up or it could keep them awake. Loud noises can cause hearing loss as well. At first, their hearing loss is temporary and recovery takes place in a couple of days. If loud noise still occurs, a person may not fully recover their level of hearing. Then, they will become deaf if they are still exposed to the loud noises.

There are many ways to start noise pollution. Some examples are traffic, barking dogs, aircraft, swimming pool equipment, air conditioners, stereos, televisions, radios, power tools, and many more. Noise from traffic usually happens on major roads, bus routes, and intersections.. Air conditioners should be put in a place that will not disturb others. You should think about others when you think about turning up your stereos, televisions, and radios louder than they should be.

WHAT STARTS NOISE POLLUTION?

LOUDNESS – IN DECIBELS

FACTORS AFFECTING INDIVIDUAL SENSATION OF SOUND?

NOISE LEVEL IN JODHPUR

EFFECTS OF NOISE POLLUTION

•Hearing Loss

•Increase Blood Pressure

•Increase Heart Rate

•Digestive Spasm

•Mental and Physical Tiredness

•Sleep Disorders

•Colour Perception

•Impairment of Night Vision

•Nervous Breakdown etc……….

A SLOW AGENT OF DEATH

HOW TO CONTROL VEHICLE NOISE?

WHAT IS HUMAN RESPONSE TO NOISE?

Response to noise is determined by a variety of factors such as:

•TIME OF DAY AND YEAR

•DURATION

•PURPOSE

•PERSONAL FACTORS.

Research suggests that approximately 10% of people will find any noise not of their own making objectionable. By comparison, approximately 25% of the population have a high tolerance for noise. The aim is to establish appropriate noise levels which are acceptable to the majority of the community.

Noise levels are affected by a number of factors: •Steady, light to moderate winds produce higher noise levels downwind and lower noise levels upwind from a given source.• •Winds of higher velocity increase background levels due to turbulence or movement of trees and obscure other noise sources.• •Temperature inversions, particularly during winter.• •Low cloud cover is sometimes reported to 'reflect' sound waves thereby increasing their intensity on the ground.

•Background noise from such sources as traffic, cicadas, birds, cattle, flowing water and wind can also have a cumulative effect on noise levels.

WHAT INFLUENCES NOISE LEVELS?

FUTURE ASPECTS

LEGAL ASPECTS

Although a regulatory legal framework to safeguard the human environment from the ill effects of pollution has slowly been built up around many activities, these frameworks do not essentially address to the noise pollution in specific. Even when regard for the public is taken into consideration, the focus of these legislative frameworks usually towards the nature of steps to be taken by the executive authorities rather than to address to any specific issues or on the other hand confine themselves to other matters, or do not adequately address noise issues.Noise Regulation Rules 2000 were made under Sec 3 of the Environmental Protection Act of 1986. The rules regulate noise levels in industrial, [75 decibels] commercial [65 decibels] and residential zones [55 decibels], and also establish zones of silence (100 meters) near schools, courts, hospitals, etc. The rules also assign regulatory authority for these standards to the local district courts.