Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad is the second-most noise polluted city globally, according to the recent ‘Annual Frontier Report, 2022’ published by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The area recorded noise pollution of an ear-splitting 114 decibels at its highest (dB) in 2021, the report said.
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The report ranks 61 cities around the world, of which Dhaka tops the list with a noise pollution of 119 dB. Islamabad is third, with maximum noise pollution of 105 dB. Thirteen cities from South Asia feature in the list. Five of them are from India. The other four are Kolkata at 89 dB, Asansol (89 dB), Jaipur (84 dB), and Delhi at 83 dB.
Sounds with a frequency of over 70 dB are considered harmful to health. The World Health Organisation had recommended a 55-dB standard for residential areas in its 1999 guidelines. For traffic and business sectors, this limit is 70 dB. The quietest cities in the world are Irbrid at 60 dB, Lyon at 69 dB, Madrid at 69 dB, Stockholm at 70 dB, and Belgrade at 70 dB.
“As cities grow, noise pollution is identified as a top environmental risk. High levels of noise impair human health and well-being – by disrupting sleep or drowning out the beneficial and positive acoustic communications of many animal species that live in these areas,” said Inger Andersen, executive director, UNEP.