Abstract
Noise is an environmental stressor, which leads to various ailments due to the physiological and psychological stresses it creates. It is essential to understand and evaluate the contributing factors of environmental noise, especially in densely polluted areas near major roads, railways and airports, for public health policy and planning. Noise level measurement permits precise and scientific analysis of noise annoyance, and therefore, this study aimed to determine the average noise levels of Quetta city. Seventy-three (73) location’s equivalent noise levels (Leq) were measured at peak rush hours for three consecutive days. Selected areas for measurement included health care centres, educational centres, government offices, public places, residential and commercial areas. All the selected sites were located near to main roads, where the traffic noise was the most prominent noise source. Noise was measured through calibrated microprocessor sound level meter. The results were computed by taking the mean of the three readings. The results showed 74 dBA as average noise level of Quetta city. It has been found that 90% of the selected locations in Quetta city exceeded the 65dBA, while 10 % of the total locations ranged between 55 to 65 dBA. The average noise exposure of the Quetta city was greater than the permissible international noise standard. This study identified the main traffic hubs of Quetta city, which requires mitigation strategies by the policy makers specifically for Health care and Educational sectors. It also requires adequate updated plans for community noise survey and ordinance.
Highlights
From the public health perspective, noise is regarded as the second highest environmental stressor [1], which is an inevitable pollutant linked with an increased risk of diseases, mainly auditory and non-auditory
The results showed that the exterior noise exposure in Quetta city exceeds 67 Distribution of measured Leq (dBA), which exceeds the permissible noise levels at peak hours, according to international standards and the National Environmental Quality Standards for Noise
Total 10% of locations were below 65 dBA, whereas, 90% of the locations exceeded the equivalent noise level standards at peak hours
Summary
From the public health perspective, noise is regarded as the second highest environmental stressor [1], which is an inevitable pollutant linked with an increased risk of diseases, mainly auditory and non-auditory. A typical auditory effect is hearing impairment, which reduces working concentration, disrupts communications, and increases the likelihood of accidents [2][3]. For public health policy and planning, it is essential to understand and evaluate the contributing factors of environmental noise on health. Environmental noise is ranked second in disability adjusted life years lost (DALYs) in Europe. For policy making and planning, it is important to consider noise as an independent factor in contributing to ill-health. Several studies have been conducted on assessing and analyzing the noise explore of the urban cities, which revealed that the road traffic is typically the largest contributor to community noise ( called environmental noise, residential noise or domestic noise)
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