Study of Noise Pollution in National Highway-19, Mathura City

This research paper studied the background noise level of Mathura region. Exposure to a high level of sound pollution may lead to stress on the auditory and nervous systems. Traffic on some state highways at many locations, presence of heavy electricity generators and development of commercial zones are the main source of sound pollution in Mathura city. The study was conducted in March 2021. The traffic noise along highway corridors on national highways (NH–19) passing near Mathura city was administered at 4 different zones (silence zone, residential zone, commercial zone and industrial zone) with 5 specific locations with background level meter (Bruel and Kjaer, SL-4030) to access the day and night sound levels in Mathura city. The traffic noise prediction was completed with the assistance of the Fed us points within Mathura city at different locations near the highway during day hours were 52.2 dB and 92.4 dB and in night hours were 36.3 dB and 85.6 dB. The extent of noise was found to tend to the prescribed noise standard level of CPCB. Thus, it shows that Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) model is often used for the predictions of traffic noise in India under its limitations of accuracy. Day by day the noise pollution levels cross the given standard limits everywhere on the earth, so this often have a greater health risk to the exposed population, therefore, control measures should be initiated and supported on priority basis. Additionally, this research paper reviews the study on noise monitoring and noise mapping directed in several countries by many scholars. It reveals that only 10% of data are focused on the residential, commercial and industrial areas and rest 90% of data used in noise monitoring studies are focused on traffic noise pollution.