‘Mumbai celebrates loudest Ganeshotsav since pandemic’

On the fifth immersion day of Ganeshotsav on Sunday noise pollution activists found that after two years of relatively low levels the use of drums loudspeakers and banjos had increased noise levels Sumaira Abdulali convenor of Awaaz Foundation stated that the combination of drums and banjos caused the maximum noise and the highest levels on day five were recorded at the Babulnath corner in Marine Drive at 1156 dB decibels followed by Bandra with 1121 dBThe third highest noise was recorded when a metal cylinder was beaten by a metal hammer at 1094 dB at Linking Road Abdulali noted A report on the noise levels by Awaaz Foundation further revealed that on Sunday the lowest noise levels were recorded at Juhu beach at 731 dB and opposite SNDT University in Juhu at 78 dB as there were no loudspeakers at these spotslsquoCombination of instrumentsrsquoldquoThe processions used drums metal cylinders and banjos which combined to create higher noise levels than during the fifth day of Ganpati visarjan of 2019 Since noise is measured on a logarithmic scale the decibel level of 1156 measured this year is significantly higher than the 1115 dB measured in 2019 Even as we await the rest of the visarjan days people have complained to me of high noise levels all over Mumbai this yearrdquo Abdulali told middayldquoAfter two years of quieter celebrations due to the pandemic we have now returned to how it used to be or have even surpassed the noise levels of 2019 We will now look at the noise levels on the tenth immersion day Anant Chaturdashirdquo said AbdulaliAlso read Mumbairsquos oldest Ganpati pandal celebrates its 130th anniversary see picsDuring Ganesh Chaturthi 2020 it was found the decibel levels were the lowest than those recorded in the past 17 years The highest levels of noise recorded was 1007 dB as loud as a motorcycle from a procession at Worli Dairy in south Mumbai the Awaaz Foundation said in its report in 2020 ldquoAmid the pandemic however processions across Mumbai were quieter in 2020 and 2021 than the noise levels measured during the entire festival in 2019 and before thatrdquo said Abdulali The highest noise level over the past two decades was recorded during the 2015 Ganeshotsav with 1237 dB followed by 1232 in the year 2013lsquoQuietest in 2020rsquoldquoGanesh Chaturthi 2020 was the quietest ever recorded since 2003 the year Awaaz foundation started recording noise levels In 2020 and 2021 there were no crowds in most places that are otherwise jampacked during this time of the year Almost no loudspeakers or other noisy instruments were seen in 2020 and were used even less in 2021 Increased number of artificial immersion spots and guidelines by the state and BMC and appeals to keep the celebrations low key helped to a large extentrdquo said AbdulaliAbdulali added ldquoThe pandemic taught us very important lessons So many things that we thought were essential we actually learnt to do away with and found we can still live happily One of them is noisy processions during various festivities In the past three to four years the level of noise during festivals has been going down I feel there has been an increase in awareness about noise among youthsrdquoHealth hazards from noise pollutionAccording to the Noise Pollution Regulation and Control Rules 2000 residential areas should have a maximum noise level of 55 dB during the day and 45 dB during the night According to the World Health Organization WHO noise levels less than 70 dB are not damaging regardless of how long or consistent the exposure is But exposure for more than 8 hours to constant noise beyond 85 dB may be hazardous Continuous noise in the range of 100 dB110 dB can result in sensorineural hearing lossNoise levels recorded on SundayHighest levelsLinking Road735 pm 1094 dB745 pm 101 dBOpposite Asha Parekh Hospital Juhu820 pm 1088 dBKhira Nagar SV Road847 pm 111 dBNear Atria Mall in Worli910 pm 1050 dBCorner of Marine Drive920 pm 1156 dBMahim1032 pm 1092 dBLucky Junction at Bandra West1038 pm 1121 dBLowest levelsOpp SNDT University Juhu750 pm 78 dBJuhu Beach757 pm 73 dBGirgaon Chowpatty immersion point915 on 82 dBShivaji Park immersion point1020 pm 825 dB