Approaches to Urban Noise Management in India

Author(s):  
Neelima S. Naik

Noise pollution in urban areas is recognized as a major environmental concern in India. The lack of infrastructure and fast paced life in major metropolitan cities of India has made the urban environment extremely crowded, busy as well as noisy and as a result the millions of people living in the major metropolitan areas are suffering from the impacts of noise pollution. Noise levels are escalating at such a rate that it has become a major threat to the quality of human lives. Direct links between noise and health have been established by research conducted over the past few decades. There are several causes for urban degradation such as population migration, environmental considerations not adequately being incorporated into master plans, uncoordinated and haphazard development, weak implementation of plans and laws and inadequate institutional competences and resource crunch. This paper discusses the causal factors, impacts and the different approaches adopted by the Central Government as well as some major State Pollution Control Boards to curb the urban noise problem and the need for looking into non-conventional solutions such as Ecocity programme to bring in visible environmental improvement.

Author(s):  
Tania Mihăiescu ◽  
Antonia Odagiu

Noise is a disturbance to the human environment that is escalating at such a high rate that it will become a major threat to the quality of human lives. In the past thirty years, noise in all areas, especially in urban areas, has been increasing rapidly. There are numerous effects on the human environment due to the increase in noise pollution. Slowly, insensibly, we seem to accept noise and the physiological and psychological deterioration that accompanies it as an inevitable part of our lives. Although we attempt to set standards for some of the most major sources of noise, we often are unable to monitor them. Community awareness of environmental noise has increased and there is a higher expectation for state and local government to reduce noise levels. The present study provides an evaluation of noise pollution in Cluj-Napoca. Equivalent noise levels (L eq) were measured in 10 points (each point measured during 30 min). Measured values were confronted with Romanian legislation allowed limits. The most noise-polluted points in Cluj Napoca were Mănăştur district – traffic circle and Aurel Vlaicu street (at the international airport limit), with measured L eq of 75.5 dB(A) and 75.91 dB(A).


2021 ◽  
Vol 926 (1) ◽  
pp. 012074
Author(s):  
D Yofianti ◽  
K Usman

Abstract The road conditions with high density and noise levels as well as the limited availability of plants along the road could lead to an increase in noise pollution. The quality of the road environment is influenced by the types of plants planted along the road. This study aims to determine the relationship between types of plants in absorbing noise pollution to improve the quality of the road environment. Data on plant type and noise levels on urban roads are obtain from previous research that has been conducted in several road segments in urban areas. The analysis will show the relationship between certain types of plants in reducing the level of noise pollution along urban roads. The reduced level of noise pollution due to absorption by certain types of plants can increase the comfort of road users in driving. In addition, improving the quality of the road environment can also support the implementation of the Green Infrastructure concept. Therefore, the quality of the road environment can be one of the considerations in planning urban roads.


Author(s):  
Paige Robinson ◽  
Gavin Mclaughlin ◽  
Michael O'Meara ◽  
Hilary Ouellette

Over the past five years, there has been an abundance of interest concerning the ecological effects of major Ontario highways on the habitats and ecosystems of many wildlife populations. The primary concern with multilane, high-traffic freeways is that they typically divide existing habitats into relatively isolated zones. Consequently, this separates individuals within a population from other members of the same population, and also excludes access to many natural resources. The majority of the resultant issues for wildlife fall under three main categories; the collision based mortalities of organisms and the consequences on local residents, the halting of gene flow amongst the wildlife populations, and the physical intrusion and/or noise pollution adversely affecting the quality of habitat for local species. Based on these concerning issues, it is crucial for a sustainable solution to be developed and implemented in appropriate areas within Kingston and the surrounding Frontenac County. Our approach involves an extensive literature review, which will assist us in observing similar problems around the globe, as well as various solutions that have been executed to fix these said problems. Furthermore, we will conduct a thorough investigation of local organizations’ existing studies to obtain relevant data and statistics which will assist us in determining the effects high-traffic freeways have on the surrounding ecological environment. It is through this research that we hope to present valid findings on the multilane highways impact to local ecosystems and landscapes, as well as produce possible planning options for intervention and suggest key areas for further examination.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 183-194
Author(s):  
Dinabandhu Mondal ◽  
Sucharita Sen

In the past few decades, due to urbanization and spatial expansion of cities beyond their municipal boundaries, complex interactions between the city and its surrounding rural areas have occurred, resulting in the formation of peri-urban spaces or zones of transition. There is a plurality of definitions for these peri-urban spaces, due to their diverse character in terms of land and water use, livelihood shifts, demographic and social transitions. Most peri-urban areas, specifically those around large metropolitan cities, are increasingly assuming complex characters, which call for governance structures beyond rural–urban binaries. For any administrative intervention of a serious nature in peri-urban areas, a standard methodology for demarcation of these spaces is required. This article is an attempt to develop and apply such a methodology beyond the existing ones, using government sources of data, in the case of Kolkata Metropolis. This article uses socio-economic and land-use characteristics to achieve this objective. It finds that peri-urban spaces do not necessarily develop uniformly around the city; instead, they are fragmented and could be located both near or relatively far from urban areas.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-62
Author(s):  
Nicholas OBI ◽  
◽  
Joy Sylvia OBI ◽  
Eziyi IBEM ◽  
Dickson NWALUSI ◽  
...  

Noise pollution and its concomitant effects on humans and environment has reached dangerous levels in many urban areas across the world. However, very little is known about the sources and effects of noise pollution within students’ hostels in a developing country like Nigeria. This study investigated urban noise pollution in residential neighbourhoods, using the Nnamdi Azikiwe University students’ off-campus accommodation in Awka, southeast Nigeria as the study area. Data were obtained through measurements of noise levels using sound level meter and by conducting a survey to gather feedback from 260 students in the study area. Descriptive statistics and Chi-Square tests were used to analyse the data; the results revealed mean noise levels of 89.8 dB(A) and 46.9 dB(A) during noisy and quiet periods, respectively. The main sources of noise were portable electricity generators, vehicular traffic and loudspeakers used by students and business operators; they were found to have deleterious effects such as low tolerance, headache, anger, lack of concentration and low productivity on the students. The study concludes by noting that to effectively minimize the effects of noise pollution within urban residential neighbourhoods in the study area and beyond, architects and urban planners should engage in proper land use zoning and the application of sound absorbing materials on walls and locating balconies of residential buildings away from noise sources. In addition, vegetation belts and sound barriers of earth mounds or wood, metal or concrete could also be constructed between the sources of noise and residential buildings, especially in the case of roadside communities.


Author(s):  
Candan Kus Sahin ◽  
Busra Onay ◽  
Beyza Sava

The sustainable landscpe design is a strategic framework in city planning and urban recreational areas, important for the quality of life of an increasingly urbanized society. This study deals with a better understanding of visitors demand and noise properties of Ayazmana promenade area, located in Isparta city center, Turkiye. The approach in the study is an exploration one with a base in site observations, interviews and survey. However, the average noise levels of the area was measured between 43.1 to 58.1 dB(A) in Autumn and 50.2 to 62.0 dB(A) in Spring, respectively. The recreational characteristics of Ayazmana promenade area were further evaluated with survey methodology on total of 100 respondents. Moreover, majority of participants (79) reported to be visiting of that promenade area for cheating with friends, followed by 78 for traveling, 70 for walking, 65 for sitting in green open spaces and for picnic, 57 for listening music and 53 for sporting activities, respectively. It is noticeable that most of the respondents (92%) were described the Ayazmana promenade area is somewhat noisy. At the end of survey study, it was requested to assessed the Ayazmana promenade area with some suggestions by respondents.


Author(s):  
Antonio Celso de Souza Junior ◽  
João Alexandre Paschoalin Filho

Cities have shown high rates of population growth since the beginning of the twentieth century (at a greater intensity when compared to their development), which puts pressure on the environment intensifying the need of natural resources exploitation, as well as creating infrastructure problems. Among the impacts caused by the high densification of the population, noise pollution caused mainly by motor vehicles can be highlighted. This kind of urban impact, often ignored by the population and government, in addition to reducing people's quality of life and depreciating urban areas, can cause irreversible damage to public health. In this regard, this research brings, through measurements "in loco", the generation of noise by motor vehicles, in one of the main roads of the city of São Paulo. In addition to the data obtained, this research also analyzes them in the light of recommendations for technical standards and resolutions aimed at noise control. Through the analyzes conducted, it was found that the noise due to traffic, which is subject to the population that occupies (permanently or transiently) the surroundings of the road in studies, is above the recommended levels. In addition to momentary discomfort, the noise levels obtained have the potential to cause damage to the health of the population, such as hearing loss, attention deviations and even psychological problems. Therefore, it is hoped that this research will help to foster the debate about the impacts of noise pollution on the urban environment and the need for measures to be taken by municipal managers.


2019 ◽  
Vol 101 ◽  
pp. 04003
Author(s):  
Stela Todorova ◽  
Kaloyan Haralampiev

Aviation, as every type of transport, is responsible for a number of negative external effects to the environment. The main goal of this study is to reveal the relation between the noise level in the urban areas near to the Burgas airport and the air traffic. Our main research tasks are: to make a literature review of the problem; to gather data for the noise levels; to gather data for the air traffic; to choose relevant statistical methods and models for the revealing of the relation between the noise level and air traffic; to draw conclusions and to make recommendations about the noise pollution in the vicinity of Burgas Airport. The data are on monthly basis and cover the period from January 2015 to December 2017, i.e. 36 months. In our regression model we use three traffic indicators as independent variables: aircraft movements; passengers and freight. In the established regression model we introduce ‘the time’ as an additional factor, which provides concrete practical advantages. Our results show that two independent variables (aircraft movements and freight) affect the Twenty-four hours average equivalent level of noise due to flights. Aircraft movements are the most important factor and we expect their increasing in the future. This will lead to increased noise levels.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 382 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilaria Delponte ◽  
Corrado Schenone

In the past, national energy planning guided the development of a central program for infrastructure investment over a defined time period. However, in the current geopolitical context, environmental damage, fossil fuel depletion, and territorial imbalance caused by the centralised energy model are all factors that require a change of energy structure, establishing actions to invest in energy diversification, and solid commitment to local renewable energies. This also implies an enhancement of the role played by local bodies, and particularly by municipalities, in achieving the targets of the Kyoto Protocol and now of the Paris Agreement, because renewable sources need to be studied, applied, and exploited at the local scale. Within this framework, this paper is organized as an overview on the promotion and implementation of the major RES technologies in the deployment of the new energy paradigm at the urban scale, taking into account multiple targets. A survey of existing literature underlines how the RES topic is mostly approached as a problem of energy supply and implementation of technology, but actual sustainability in terms of a social development process and improvement of quality of life by residents is often neglected. Then, this overview stimulated the authors to highlight three main critical issues and gaps and support the need of an all-encompassing approach as a final recommendation for a general RES urban planning advancement.


2005 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 56-59
Author(s):  
Wilfredo Prilles

Initiated in 1989, the KsK programme (literally Partners in Development) shows how a tri-partite approach of pooling resources and capabilities of private landowners, city and central government and the poor can be used to improve urban living conditions. Strong political will and an enlightened perception of the poor has enabled a city government to reduce poverty, manage urbanisation and improve quality of life in urban areas. Eighty-one per cent of the 7,400 low-income houses have been improved to date. Strong community participation has been a vital factor in achieving this success.


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