Delhi suffered a noisier Diwali this year, with most neighbourhoods crossing the permissible noise limits despite restrictions.
The decibel limits were higher on the night than previous years.
Real-time data from the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) revealed that 23 of the 26 active noise monitoring stations in the city reported noise levels above the permissible limits, up from 22 stations last year, and 13 in 2023.
Karol Bagh, among the city's busiest commercial areas, emerged as the loudest, with decibel levels peaking at 93.5 dB(A), or A-weighted decibels, around 11 pm on Diwali night.
Although marginally lower than last year's 94.5 dB(A), the area remained noisy throughout the day, breaching the night-time limit of 55 dB(A). The noise level continued to ratchet up until 2 am the next day.
The average noise level for the night stood at 88.4 dB(A), almost unchanged from 2024's 88.7 dB(A).
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Delhi's noise monitoring stations are divided into four zones – silence, residential, commercial, and industrial – with maximum permissible limits ranging from 40 dB(A) at night in silence zones to 70 dB(A) in industrial zones.
The loudest cracker bursting was recorded between 9 pm and 11 pm, all the same, several areas continued to register high readings well past midnight.
Even the silence zones were far from quiet.
On Sri Aurobindo Marg, the average noise level reached 65 dB(A), while the peak reading hit 75.7 dB(A) at 9 pm – nearly double the permissible night-time limit.
Near Maharshi Valmiki Hospital in Bawana, another silence zone, noise levels peaked at 77.9 dB(A) around 8 pm.
Residential areas witnessed a consummate violation of sound limits.
In east Delhi's Vivek Vihar, the reading touched 85 dB(A) around 9 pm, while in Dwarka, it rose close to 80 dB(A) between 9 and 10 pm.
Commercial hubs such as Lajpat Nagar recorded 83.3 dB(A) at 10 pm and continued to stay noisy late into the night.
A 2022 order of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) directed authorities to treat noise pollution on par with air pollution and ensure that mitigation measures for both are implemented together.
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