Consultant for noise check gets nod, activists call it sound move

MUMBAI: Even as the proposal to hire a consultant to measure the noise levels and suggest steps to curb the same was passed at the BMC standing committee on Wednesday, activist and residents from the city said that this could help tremendously considering that presently there are only seven noise monitoring stations in the city which definitely are not able to give a clear picture about the kind of noise pollution which the entire city witnesses every day.There are three other noise monitoring stations which include two at Navi Mumbai and one at Thane.
The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) presently monitors noise at Bandra, Wadala, Powai, Kandivali, Govandi, Fort and Borivali on a real time basis. However the BMC plans to map the noise levels. A senior official from the MPCB in Mumbai said that through mapping the civic authority appointed consultant would select wards and get instant readings. “This would not be continuous readings or real time monitoring which is done by us presently wherein we can even get minute by minute readings if required,” said the official. It is pertinent to note that the till September 2014, the MPCB had only five noise monitoring stations which included Bandra, Wadala, Thane, Mahape and Vashi in Navi Mumbai. The other five stations namely Powai, Kandivali, Govandi, Fort and Borivali targeting monitoring of noise in the Mumbai Metropolitan region was started only recently.
Noise activist Sumaira Abdullali from Awaaz Foundation who has been campaigning against noise pollution for several years said that this is a very important step being taken by the authorities and if the data is made public it can help citizens greatly. “Only once you have the data can you decide how and to what extent do you need to manage the noise pollution being caused in your area. Then one also can decide upon what are the measures which are required to be taken,” said Abdullali.
Meanwhile residents said that the BMC deciding to spend as much as Rs.77 lakhs a year as consultancy fees to map the noise itself marks a victory for those activists and citizens who have been campaigning against the menace caused by extreme noise since the past many years. “It shows that the administration is recognizing that noise is a menace. However the authority should also work out ways in which punitive action can be taken against offenders causing the noise pollution,” said Anil Joseph, chairperson of Perry Road Residents Association.