I’m sure that everyone reading this blog has had it happen to you….. the night that you need to sleep for a big test or interview, or maybe you have someone seriously ill in your home, or maybe you would just like a night of peace and quiet at home with friends and family. But just as we settle in to study, getting a patient to sleep or settling into a good movie, the casual privacy that we have in our homes is disturbed by a loud music from a nearby wedding hall. Don’t get me wrong, I think everyone has the right to celebrate, but do you really have to disturb my peace to do so?

Most nations, including our neighboring India, cities have ordinances to assure that noise pollution is controlled.

So let’s start with the basics, to understand what noise pollution is, we first have to understand noise.

Noise is any sound which annoys, intrudes or disturbs. It is best described as a “sound which is undesired by the recipient.” You could be listening to your favorite CD at a loud volume, but if your neighbor can hear it, it is considered noise because it intrudes their home and causes annoyance.

Noise pollution issues fall into multiple categories:

• Residential - stereos, noisy parties, wedding halls, house/vehicle alarms
• Industrial/Commercial - Factory, construction site or noisy business
• Transportation - Road/Rail, car horns

So how do we decide if its noise pollution?

Deciding if environmental noise is noise pollution or not is the most difficult. When deciding if it’s noise pollution or not, it must meet a basic criteria:

Is this sort of noise wholly unreasonable in the circumstances?

• If the noise is enough to keep you awake at night, its unacceptable.
• If it is occasional, at a reasonable time of day or can only just be heard, this would not be noise pollution.

What is a Noise Pollution Ordinance?

Noise Pollution Ordinances fall under the jurisdiction of the city/district council. They are meant to protect citizens from any noise nuisance coming from vehicles, machinery, street equipment, and loud parties. They also set the fines and punishments for repeat offenses. To give you an example, a town in the United Kingdom fines first time offenders GBP 2000.

Now, we all know that we can’t get people to turn down their stereos when they drive down the road, but we could have

• “Silence Zones” around educational institutions, hospitals and courts, where horn blowing, loud parties, etc. would not be allowed at all
• Ban on playing music outdoors at wedding halls after 11 pm
• Require all vehicles, including rickshaws, to have mufflers

How Does it Help Us? Read more »