In Hyderabad, the urban landscape is meticulously divided into various zones: silent, commercial, residential, and industrial, each with its own permissible noise levels. These designations are critical for maintaining the city's auditory environment and ensuring that certain areas remain havens of peace and quiet.
Silent Zones: A Haven Under Threat
Silent zones in Hyderabad, which include areas around hospitals, schools, and places of worship, are intended to be sanctuaries of calm, with strict noise limits set at 50 decibels during the day and 40 decibels at night. However, the tranquility of these zones is increasingly under threat. The cacophony of urban life—honking vehicles, construction work, and street vendors—often invades these spaces, shattering the intended peace.
However, what once used to be a true reflection of silent areas is now increasingly getting drowned by the din.
The silent areas, ceasing to be silent, now often exhibit noise levels that surpass the permissible limits of 50 dB during the day and 40 dB at night. In some of these areas, daytime noise levels hover close to 60 dB, while nighttime levels approximate 50 dB. This means that at both times, noise levels are at least 10 dB above the acceptable limits.
This spike in noise pollution is primarily attributed to the sharp increase in the number of vehicles on city roads, which significantly elevate noise levels. Locations such as Jubilee Hills, which in recent years has become renowned as a bustling eat street, exemplify this issue. Here, vehicles zoom in and out until late at night, contributing to the persistent noise that disrupts the intended tranquility of silent zones.
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