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Introduction

Noise pollution has become a silent yet serious public health and environmental challenge in Indian cities. Despite safeguards like the Noise Pollution Rules, 2000 and the National Ambient Noise Monitoring Network (NANMN), rising decibel levels near schools, hospitals, and residential areas highlight weak enforcement and systemic neglect.

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Challenges that hinder effective control of noise pollution

• Weak Enforcement & Accountability: Despite the Noise Pollution Rules, 2000, enforcement remains symbolic, with little follow-up on violations near hospitals, schools, and residential zones.
  Eg: WHO prescribes 50 dB(A) by day and 40 dB(A) by night in silent zones, yet levels near sensitive areas in Delhi and Bengaluru often touch 65–70 dB(A).
• Fragmented Institutional Coordination: Pollution Control Boards, traffic police, and municipal bodies often work in silos, leading to gaps in regulation and monitoring.
• Flawed Monitoring System: The NANMN largely acts as a passive repository, with poorly placed sensors and underused data.
  Eg: Many are mounted 25 to 30 feet high, in violation of the CPCB’s 2015 guidelines
• Regulatory & Legal Gaps: Rules are outdated and rarely updated to reflect present urban realities such as 24×7 construction, logistics-driven traffic, and rising urban density.
• Civic Apathy & Normalisation: Honking, drilling, and loudspeakers are seen as routine irritants, with little public outrage or collective demand for change.
• Invisibility of Noise as a Pollutant: Unlike air or solid waste pollution, noise leaves no visible trace, making its health and ecological impacts less tangible to both citizens and policymakers.

Measures needed

• Strengthen Monitoring & Enforcement: Decentralise NANMN data to local bodies and link monitoring with real penalties, construction curbs, and traffic regulation.
• National Acoustic Policy: Set clear, regularly updated noise limits for all zones with mandatory audits, similar to air quality standards.
• Urban Planning with Acoustic Resilience: Incorporate noise-buffering designs (green belts, sound barriers, zoning reforms) in city planning.
• Public Awareness & Behavioural Change: Awareness must be institutionalised, with initiatives like “No Honking Day” evolving into sustained behavioural campaigns.
• Judicial & Constitutional Reinforcement: Treat excessive noise as a violation of Article 21 (right to life with dignity), ensuring that courts push for stricter compliance.

Conclusion

Controlling noise pollution requires more than laws; it demands effective enforcement, urban redesign, and cultural change. By treating silence as a right and integrating noise control into governance and civic behaviour, Indian cities can move towards healthier and more dignified living environments.

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