Analysis and Evaluation of Traffic Noise in Different Zones of Delhi, India

Noise pollution due to traffic has been recognized as one of the chief sources that negatively affects the quality of life in urban areas across the globe. It is important to monitor and analyze the noise level before purposing remedial measures. So, the main aim of this study is the analysis and evaluation of traffic noise in different zones of Delhi, India. Seven residential, three commercials, four industrial and two silent areas of city Delhi has been selected for this study. The Leq mentoring has been carried out for all selected locations in day and night time and the monitoring results are compared with the prescribed standard of Central Pollution Control Board. Furthermore, the average Leq, Lmin, and Lmax has also been registered for all locations. The variation of noise level clearly indicates that residential area is exposed to the highest noise level i.e. 76.62 dB followed by commercial area (59.36dB), silent area (58.58dB) and Industrial area (44.45dB). This is because of the fact that the residential area is located at the intersection of major roads having high traffic volume most of the time. The Commercial area which has been selected here is the central business district of Delhi and is of historic importance. It's a famous tourist spot as well as having retail shops, offices and historic structures. All these contribute to high traffic noise. However, the Silent area selected for this study also has similar traffic noise as a commercial area because it has densely populated residential areas nearby. The lowest noise level is observed in the Industrial area because the area has small scale industries that are fully enclosed with high boundary walls which act as a buffer. Also, there is less traffic movement in this area as there is no residential or commercial area nearby and the only traffic is because of the factory workers and loading & unloading