This Diwali, Mumbai recorded high noise pollution levels too

Mumbai, Nov 13:  Not only the air pollution levels in the city were poor, even the noise pollution levels were high during Diwali celebrations on Sunday, as per data collected by Awaaz Foundation.

The Awaaz Foundation found noise levels between 72 decibels and 117 decibels -- way above the permissible limits of 50-55 decibels during day and 40-45 decibels at night -- in south Mumbai, said the NGO's founder Sumaira Abdulali.

This year, the noise levels were higher than 2022 (109.1 decibels) at Marine Drive, and 2021 (100.4 decibels) at Shivaji Park.

At Shivaji Park, people started bursting firecrackers AT around 7.45 p.m., before the Bombay High Court’s time-limit of 8 p.m. TO 10 p.m., while the frequency of firecrackers at Marine Drive started increasing after 9 p.m.

The recordings at Bandra Bandstand was 72-85 decibels, at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Park it was 99-95 decibels, as people continued to burst firecrackers till nearly midnight.

The nearby Dadar seaface recorded sound levels of 85 decibels, at Colaba fishing colony it was 82 decibels, and on Marine Drive it peaked at 117 decibels at around 11.30 p.m. on Sunday.

After Abdulali’s complaint, the local police started stopping or detaining people who were bursting crackers flouting the high court deadlines.

For the first time in a decade, Awaaz and the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board this year did not conduct their annual joint pre-Diwali firecrackers test to determine noise levels and ban them even before they could reach the markets.

Abdulali said while firecrackers containing toxic chemicals are banned by the Supreme Court, their presence, including barium, was detected in separate tests conducted.

“The poor Air Quality Index (AQI) in Mumbai as a result of an increase in air pollution noted immediately after Diwali would contain these harmful chemicals including barium,” warned Abdulali.