What is noise pollution?

Noise pollution refers to generation and spread on noises in places and at times which causes disturbances in activities of other people, or causes discomfort or harms their health. In particular noise pollution can cause temporary of permanent damage to hearing. Noise pollution can take place within a limited environment where people work or it may extend to other common areas. or environment. For example, the noise of aeroplanes taking off and landing causes noise pollution for people living near airports.

Noise pollution does not pollute the environment, but it is harmful as long as the noise at any place is beyond certain acceptable levels measured in decibels. These levels are also set according to the time of the day. For example we can withstand higher noise levels around our houses during day day time but while we are trying to sleep at night, ewe need quieter environment.

Noise pollution is caused primarily by operations of machines and equipment. Noise created by some of these machines may be confined within a close premise, or it may pollute environment around it. Noise pollution may also be caused by other activities such as open air music shows, public speeches, and even our neighbours playing loud music late at night.

There are three main ways of controlling noise pollution.

1. Quiting down the source of noise. For example, designing and building equipments that do make less noise. It also means not indulging in noise polluting  activities such as playing very loud music, and taking care to avoid creating excess noise at wrong times or wrong places.


2. Blocking passage of noise by building suitable noise barriers around the source of noise. This is not possible when people need to interact with the equipment. In such as it is advisable for people working in the noisy environment to wear suitable ear plugs.


3. Absorbing the noise created. This is done to reduce noise level within an enclosed space which also contains the source of noise. The noise level in such places can be reduces by lining the interior of such places with material that absorbs rather than reflects noise.