As loud as chainsaw at close range? Kanwar Yatra boomboxes deafen Delhi above permitted limits, law on mute
An investigation by the Hindustan Times reveals that loudspeaker-mounted trucks during the Kanwar Yatra in Delhi are producing noise levels up to 110 decibels. These levels significantly exceed legal residential limits and persist well past the 10pm curfew.
Why it matters
The report highlights a significant public health and regulatory issue regarding noise pollution and the enforcement of environmental laws during major religious processions.
An HT sound meter registered peaks of 110 decibels at two Kanwar Yatra rest camps in east Delhi as loudspeaker-mounted convoy trucks rolled past. That is roughly as loud as a chainsaw at close range, and more than 30 decibels above every legal ceiling that applies to noise in a residential area.Even between the passing trucks, ambient noise at both camps — HT took the measurements at multiple occasions on Friday and Saturday — held between 80 and 88 decibels — 25 to 33 decibels above the 55-decibel daytime residential limit set by the Central Pollution Control Board. Because the decibel scale is logarithmic, the 85-decibel readings HT recorded carry roughly a thousand times the sound intensity of that ceiling.Also read: Shahi paneer, pizza, momo without onion, garlic.
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