Status of Noise Pollution in Urban and Sub-Urban Environments, Vavuniya District, Sri Lanka

Abstract

Omnipresence of loud noise becomes a part of life in urban and sub-urban environments as the result of urbanization, mechanization and life style changes. Consequently, noise pollution has been reported to cause serious health hazard in people of different age classes. There have been several studies that have proven the auditory and non-auditory effects of noise pollution. Motor vehicles, machineries and increased traffic are identified as the key sources of noise pollution. Being the transport hub of the Northern province of Sri Lanka, Vavuniya district experiences increased traffic during both day and night times. Aim of this study was to assess the status of noise pollution in Vavuniya district by measuring noise levels in urban and sub-urban environments of Vavuniya district. We used TENMA 72-947 model sound level meter, which has the range of 30dB to 130dB. To assess the temporal variation of noise levels, we measured noise levels during different times on each measurement day (i.e. Morning peak (MP): 7.00 - 9.00 am, Noon peak (NP): 1.00 - 2.30 pm, Evening Peak (EP): 4.00 - 7.00 pm). In addition, to assess the impact of noise levels in routine activities, semi-structured questionnaire survey was conducted among the randomly selected persons from respective measurement locations. Our results show that, in the urban and sub-urban area noise levels were in the range of 58 – 76dB, 63 – 78dB, 55 - 74dB and 48 - 68dB, 52- 68dB, 46 - 62dB for MP, NP and EP period respectively. Measured noise levels were above the World Health Organization (WHO) maximum recommended noise level for an outdoor living area, 55 dB. Questionnaire survey revealed the fact that people are aware of the increased noise levels in their locality in comparison to the levels experienced in the past. Collectively, our findings necessitate the enforcement of regulations on controlling noise pollution in Vavuniya district.