The noise level in Ranchi’s designated ‘silence zone’ – Old High Court – touched the 78-decibel mark on Diwali, a spike of nearly 56 per cent, while other parts of the eastern state also experienced high sound pollution, officials said on Tuesday.
The Old High Court area in Doranda locality registered an average noise level of 78 decibel between 6 am and 10 pm on Monday, according to data released by the Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board (JSPCB).
It also remained high at 72 decibel between 10 pm on Monday to 6 am on Tuesday, JSPCB said.
The permissible limit for silence zones is 50 decibel during the day (6 am to 10 pm) and 40 decibel at night (10 pm to 6 am), the official said.
The JSPCB measures noise levels at four locations – Old High Court (silence zone), Albert Ekka Chowk (commercial zone), Ashok Nagar (residential zone), and Tupudana (industrial zone).
In Albert Ekka Chowk, noise levels rose by 16.92 per cent against the average permissible limit on the day of Diwali. The area recorded 76 decibel during the day, and 69 decibel at night, the data showed.
In contrast, Tupudana recorded 65 decibel during the day and 51 decibel at night, below the average permissible limits of 75 decibel and 70 decibel, respectively.
The JSPCB had provided a two-hour window from 8 pm to 10 pm for bursting firecrackers this Diwali, while sale of fireworks emitting over 125 decibel noise had been banned in Jharkhand.
In Jamshedpur, the average noise level in Bistupur was registered at 78.30 decibel, higher than the specified limit of 55 decibel during daytime and 45 decibel at night, according to the data.
In the area around Tata Main Hospital, the level touched the 64.18-decibel mark against the specified limit of 40 decibel.
The air quality in Ranchi, Bistupur in East Singhbhum and Adityapur in Seraikela-Kharswan also deteriorated on Diwali, the officials said.
The average PM-10 level was recorded at 384.32 ug/m3 at Albert Ekka Chowk and 327.97 ug/m3 at Birsa Chowk between 6 am on Monday and 6 am on Tuesday against the permissible limit of 100 ug/m3, the data showed.
Similarly, the PM-2.5 level was recorded at 215.32 ug/m3 at Albert Ekka Chowk and 209.19 ug/m3 at Birsa Chowk against the permissible limit of 60 ug/m3.
PM-10 and PM-2.5 levels are types of particulate matters found in the air.
Due to their smaller size, PM2.5 particles can penetrate deeper into the respiratory system and enter the bloodstream, thereby posing a greater risk to human health, according to experts.
In Bistupur of East Singhbhum district, the average suspended particulate matter (SPM) in the air was recorded at 307.64 ug/m3, JSPCB regional officer J P Singh said.
Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.