MUMBAI: The overall noise level in the city may have come down this Diwali, but some pockets witnessed a very noisy celebration, recording a deafening 100dB. A study on Sunday shows that there was no respite for residents in places such as Marine Drive, Pedder Road and Khar.
Activists said in those locations, residents simply ignored the 10pm deadline for bursting crackers. In spite of the police attempting to implement the rule, revellers apparently continued lighting noisy crackers late into the night, they said. Going by the report compiled by NGO Awaaz Foundation, Marine Drive was the noisiest in the city, which recorded 122 dB, followed by Pedder Road, where the noise level reached 92 dB. Both the figures, recorded in the evening, are way above the permissible level of 55dB in a residential area.
Though crackers are prohibited after 10pm, the report shows that even after the deadline, the noise level at Marine Drive was as high as 113 db. Even at Worli sea face and Pali Hill in Bandra, the highest recorded level was 86 dB post-midnight. “The 10pm deadline was not implemented properly. The police tried to stop people from bursting crackers but were unsuccessful. Though the overall noise level came down, but in some place, people still continued bursting crackers way after midnight,” said Sumaira Abdulali, convener of Awaaz Foundation. She added Khar was another neighbourhood where residents complained of noisy crackers even after 2am. But, she admitted that barring those pockets, “the noise during Diwali was much lower than other years”.
Agreeing that people did not respect the 10pm deadline, activist Ajay Marathe said, “The crackers were sold and bought without warning or checking.” According to another activist, there were fewer atom bombs but the “change seems to have happened at an individual level”. He said most of the loud noise emanated from grounds or beaches where a large number of people congregated for celebrations.
