Traffic Noise Pollution Assessment in Major Road Junctions of Imphal City, Manipur (India)

Abstract

Noise pollution assessment was carried out in selected traffic junctions of Imphal city of Manipur, India, using noise parameters and indices such as L10, L50, L90, Leq for the different periods of the day, i.e., morning, noon, and evening hours. The study of equivalent noise level (Leq), noise parameters, and various noise indices have enabled the evaluation of the overall traffic noise environment of the city. The noise indices such as traffic noise index (TNI), noise climate (NC), traffic noise pollution level (LNP), noise exposure index (NEI) along with day time (LD), night time (LN) average, and day-night (Ldn) noise levels were assessed for the selected traffic junctions. Moreover, spatial noise mapping was carried out using the geostatistical interpolation technique to evaluate the changes of traffic noise scenarios during the different time zones of the day. The Leq values in a few traffic junctions exceeded the required noise standards. The study shows equivalent noise levels ranging between 52.2-69.9 dB(A) during the morning (7-10 am), 52.4 -69.3 dB(A) during noon (12 noon-2 pm), and 54.6-71.1 dB(A) during the evening (4-7 pm) hours, respectively.

Keywords

• traffic noise, equivalent noise, background noise, noise indices, noise mapping