Noise pollution standards
Also called: Noise Pollution Rules 2000 · Topic: Geographical Issues: Pollution, Urban Waste, Slums and Land Degradation · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Noise pollution standards are the legal limits on how loud a place may get. They are set under the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules 2000 and measured in dB(A), which means decibels adjusted to match how the human ear hears. Each zone has a day limit and a lower night limit:
- Industrial: 75 by day, 70 at night
- Commercial: 65 by day, 55 at night
- Residential: 55 by day, 45 at night
- Silence zone: 50 by day, 40 at night. A silence zone is the area within 100 m of a hospital, school or court.
Example
A hospital in Delhi has a silence zone around it, so the limit there is 40 dB(A) at night. In 2005, the Supreme Court also banned loudspeakers across India from 10 pm to 6 am.
Don't confuse with
- Ambient air quality standards (NAAQS): these limit pollutants in the air, such as PM2.5, and not sound levels.