PUNE: The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) has observed that this year’s Diwali celebrations were slightly louder than the last year, but significantly quieter than the pre-pandemic year of 2019.
The maximum sound levels recorded in Pune over the three-day period — a day prior to Diwali, the day of Diwali and Bhau Beej — were around 83 decibels (dB) and 74.7 dB during the day and night-time, respectively. The corresponding readings in 2019 were 87.6 dB and 77.6 dB.
The permissible sound limits are 65 dB and 55 dB in commercial areas during daytime and night-time, respectively, In the residential areas, the levels are 55 dB and 45 dB during day and night respectively.
This year, the noise levels were measured at 14 locations in the Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad civic areas, an MPCB official said. According to the readings, areas such as Karve Road and Laxmi Road were the loudest places during the day, while localities such as Swargate were louder at night. The noise levels recorded at a number of locations violated the permissible noise limits, especially in the residential areas.
“Overall, the noise levels are definitely lower than that of 2019, while it is slightly higher than that of 2020.Almost no Diwali festivities were observed last year, which is why the data could not be compared. This time, people refrained from buying crackers due to various reasons, be it financial difficulties due to the pandemic, or awareness regarding the link between air-borne diseases like Covid-19 and others,” said Nitin Shinde, the regional officer of the MPCB in Pune.
