Mumbai Witnessed a Drop in Noise Levels During Diwali 2020

Figures published by the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting (SAFAR) have shown that air quality in Mumbai was significantly better than expected during this past weekend for Diwali. 

Though the data showed that some pockets witnessed a sharp increase in the use of fireworks, air pollution was considerably lower when compared to previous years. 

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Similarly, NGO Awaaz Foundation recorded noise levels in the city during Diwali this year to understand how it fared in comparison to the past few years. As per the data issued by the NGO, Shivaji Park recorded noise levels of 105.5 decibels (dB) with firecrackers like sparklers, rassi bomb, and anaar on Saturday. 

What’s interesting from this data is that the noise levels were at 117.8 dB in 2017 which means that the noise pollution has seen a decline of roughly 10% over the past three years.

Founder of Awaaz Foundation, Sumaira Abdulali said, “People burst crackers in housing society and reported they could hear the noise of crackers but not loud enough like previous years. Nobody complained of persistent fireworks in their neighbourhood.”

“We could not record noise levels in private housing societies due to permission issues,” she added.

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The report further added that Marine Drive which happened to be the noisiest area as of 2019, witnessed a significant decrease in noise pollution as only a few residents in the area burst crackers. 

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had banned the use of fireworks in public places as a precautionary measure against crowding during a pandemic. This meant that public places like Chowpatty, Shivaji Park, and Marine Drive were quieter than usual this year.

It is said that a large number of people switched to milder fireworks like chakri, sparklers, anaar, and so on in a conscious effort to moderate the harm caused to the environment. 

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