NEW DELHI: Noise pollution seems to be largely on the decline in the city, both during the day and night, according to the yearly average ambient noise data gathered since 2015 from five real-time noise monitoring stations. RK Puram in southwest Delhi, however, has been recording an increase in noise pollution both in the day and at night. Among the 21 new noise monitoring stations installed by Delhi Pollution Control Committee, Karol Bagh has emerged the noisiest location, while Najafgarh and Alipur are the least noisy.
Delhi had for long had five noise monitoring stations at Anand Vihar, Civil Lines, Mandir Marg, Punjabi Bagh and RK Puram, all of them under DPCC. It was only last year that 21 new noise monitoring stations were set up across the city in order to better assess the noise levels.
DPCC data from 2015 shows that Anand Vihar had an annual daytime ambient noise decibel average of 67.8 dB(A) that year. However, this dropped to 65.6 dB(A) by 2019. In 2020, it further fell to 61.4 dB(A), largely due to the impact of the Covid-19 lockdown. Similarly, Civil Lines and Punjabi Bagh have shown a reduction in daytime noise levels over the years, falling from 62.9 and 63.4 dB(A), respectively, in 2015 to 61 and 58.3 dB(A), respectively, in 2019. While the noise at Mandir Marg has largely remained consistent, daytime noise pollution at RK Puram increased from 60.3 dB(A) in 2015 to 62.1 dB(A) in 2019.
The downward trend is similar at night, with Anand Vihar, Civil Lines, Punjabi Bagh and even Mandir Marg showing a reduction in noise levels over the years. While the decibel level in Punjabi Bagh dropped from 58.9 dB(A) in 2015 to 52.2 dB(A) in 2019, the fall is around 3 decibels at Civil Lines and 1-1.5 decibels at Anand Vihar and Mandir Marg. RK Puram, meanwhile, actually showed a gradual increase in night noise level, with the annual average in 2015 of 53.7 dB(A) going up to 56 dB(A) in 2019 and 56.9 in 2020 despite the lockdown curbing noise pollution.
Among the 26 noise stations, Karol Bagh recorded the highest daytime average noise levels in 2020 at 71.8 dB(A), followed by Dwarka at 64.2 dB(A). At night, Shahdara was the noisiest in 2020 at 64.6 dB(A), followed by Karol Bagh at 61 dB(A) and Narela at 59.3 dB(A). At night, the least noisy place in Delhi was Najafgarh with a measure of 49.3 dB(A), followed closely by Alipur at 49.5 dB(A). The positions were reversed during the day, with Alipur the least noisy location in Delhi at 51.6 dB(A), followed by Najafgarh at 52.5 dB(A).
While vehicular traffic may largely be the reason for high noise levels at RK Puram, DPCC officials were unable to explain the increase in noise pollution over the years. “We analyse the data and based on this information, we carry out periodical checks in such locations to identify noise level violations,” said one official.