Ranchi’s ‘silence zone’ records 56 pc surge in noise levels on Diwali

Ranchi, Oct 21 (PTI) The noise level in Ranchi’s designated ‘silence zone’ – Old High Court – touched the 78-decibel mark on Diwali, a spike of nearly 56 per cent, an official said on Tuesday.

The Old High Court area in Doranda locality registered an average noise level of 78 decibel between 6 am and 10 pm on Monday, according to data released by the Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board (JSPCB).

It also remained high at 72 decibel between 10 pm on Monday to 6 am on Tuesday, JSPCB said.

The permissible limit for silence zones is 50 decibel during the day (6 am to 10 pm) and 40 decibel at night (10 pm to 6 am), the official said.

The JSPCB measures noise levels at four locations – Old High Court (silence zone), Albert Ekka Chowk (commercial zone), Ashok Nagar (residential zone), and Tupudana (industrial zone).

In Albert Ekka Chowk, noise levels rose by 16.92 per cent against the average permissible limit on the day of Diwali. The area recorded 76 decibel during the day, and 69 decibel at night, the data showed.

In contrast, Tupudana recorded 65 decibel during the day and 51 decibel at night, below the average permissible limits of 75 decibel and 70 decibel, respectively.

The JSPCB had provided a two-hour window from 8 pm to 10 pm for bursting firecrackers this Diwali, while sale of fireworks emitting over 125 decibel noise had been banned in Jharkhand. PTI SAN RBT