NOISE BASED ZONING FOR ROORKEE

Abstract

Noise is the sound unwanted by the people. The recognition of noise as an environmental problem and it's impact both on community and occupational environment is rapidly growing. The noise pollution issues and it's abatement are commanding increasing attention of the public at large from all corners. In many cities in India, the noise pollution level is alarming. The problem is aggravated by the increasing traffic volume, industrialization and densely sprawling commercial activities. In urban area, vehicular traffic alone contributes about 55% of total noise. Efforts are in progress worldwide for enforcement of legislation, noise ordinance, zonal regulation and control strategies for minimizing the noise pollution in urban community environment. Certain noise ordinances, like Motor Vehicle Acts, Factory Acts etc. are in force from place to place. The need of detailed environmental planning considering noise as an integral factor is mostly desired in present days to obtain a quieter community environment. The recognition of noise nuisance at it's existing level in zoning regulation can resist the further degradation of the environment. Roorkee Township has it's importance as an institutional town and is expanding rapidly. The present study was aimed to report about the existing noise environment in different landuses through various statistical parameters, such as L10, L50, L90 and Lew These noise level parameters were compared with various prescribed standards to understand the degree of severity of noise level. Effort was also made for noise based zoning of the study areas of the town, for providing a base for incorporating zoning regulations. This can restrict any adverse growth, which may likely to deteriorate the existing environment further.