An investigation of noise emission level at KTM railway tracks around the community

Abstract

Noise is one of the physical pollutions affecting human life. This study is to focus on the investigation of the level of noise emitted by trains in human activity areas located along the KTM railway track alignment at SK Sultan Hishamuddin Alam Shah (SKSHAS), Kuala Lumpur and Kompleks Kediaman Kakitangan Awam (KKKA), Kuala Lumpur. The scopes of this study included noise measurement using 3M Soundpro model SEIDL Sound Level Meter starting from 8.00 a.m to 5.00 p.m, comparison of the data collected onsite with the Guidelines for Environment Noise Limits and Control 2019 by Department of Environment Malaysia, questionnaire distribution and analysis of noise satisfaction level of the surrounding community based on perception, acceptance and satisfaction using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26. From the analysis of 40 nos. noise data sample, it was found that the maximum train noise level (LAmax) at SKSHAS was 74 dBA and KKKA was 73.25 dBA, which were acceptable and complied to the limits of 75dBA for Noise Sensitive Area and 80 dBA for Urban Residential Area. From the analysis results of 101 nos. respondent answering the questionnaires using SPSS version 26 software, it was found that the highest correlation coefficient values for SKSHAS and KKKA were 0.767 was 0.750, respectively, with significant value level (p) of 0.000 (<0.05). The correlation analysis showed that high noise level was the most disturbing factor to the respondents. Thus, it is suggested to reduce the noise level by installing suitable noise barriers such as natural plants and brick wall, and to extend the study to other locations with barriers and various land use categories.