During Deepavali revelry, noise levels in Bengaluru hit double the norm | Bengaluru News
Bengaluru: Deepavali nights were anything but quiet. Bengaluru recorded night-time noise levels touching 90 decibels in several areas — nearly double the permissible limit, according to a report by Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB).Noise levels spiked across residential neighbourhoods, revealing the city’s festive soundscape remains far from compliant. Manual-monitoring stations recorded the highest night-time noise level at Sarjapur (90dB), followed by Indiranagar (73dB), Peenya (72dB), and Jayanagar (71dB). The Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) limit for residential areas at night is 55dB.Even institutional areas such as Indiranagar’s ESI Hospital zone and Yelahanka RTO exceeded safe levels by over 40%. “Firecrackers may be fewer, but the high-decibel ones still dominate the nights. Noise control is lagging behind air regulation,” said a KSPCB noise-monitoring officer.The problem isn’t limited to Bengaluru. Across 29 monitored towns in Karnataka, noise levels rose by 15%–25% over pre-Deepavali readings. The data accessed by TOI revealed Chikkamagaluru (77dB), Belagavi (76dB), and Hassan (75dB) emerged as the loudest districts, far above the prescribed limits.Smaller towns like Vijayapura (35 dB) and Ballari (44 dB) maintained lower levels, possibly due to stricter enforcement and smaller cracker bursts. Many citizens said the lack of proper policing has led to an increase in noise levels. “There were many people who kept bursting crackers loudly even post 10pm, and there was no monitoring of it,” said Susheela Rao, a resident of Jayanagar. She added: “With almost everyone bursting crackers this time, the sound levels were at their peak.“
