Evaluation of Noise Pollution Level in the Metro Construction Site in Mumbai, India

Biological communities in natural systems may show more complex responses to noise than expected from direct effects on acoustically oriented taxa through indirect effects that cascade through communities. There is no doubt that the construction of large infrastructure such as railroads, highways, airports, bridges and subways contribute magnificently towards the social-economic opportunities for the development of a region. But the infrastructures though contributing greatly towards development/civilization their construction is also responsible for the deterioration of the natural environment in the greater areas where these projects are located. In this study, we used a simple decibel meter (HT-80A) and other basic assessment techniques to study the environmental impact of the construction work. Noise can directly affect organisms via several mechanisms, such as acoustic masking, distraction and aversive effects, noise should have stronger direct impacts on animals with, as opposed to without, auditory receptors. The radius for the assessment of the negative impacts of construction work on the environment is set based on the observation of the high noise level of construction work reaching a certain distance in comparison to the standard noise level of traffic (75dB(A) – 85dB(A)).The main reason for this study is the daily observation of the use of high-tech & big machinery on the site of metro construction which was emitting high levels of noise & air pollution exceeding the standard noise level set by The Government of India (45dB(A)-65dB(A)) [1]. The findings of this noise level pollution evaluation revealed negative impact such as anxiety, depression, headache, stress etc. due to the construction work of the metro. The environment is deteriorating which is harmful to the social-economic and richness of the ecosystem as well as to the organism living in the locality. This study contributes to society’s richness and maintenance by creating awareness and giving a near to accurate value on the harmful impact of construction work. The project contractors like Stakeholders, Policy Makers and Urban Planners can use this study for refinement of their project in a way such as to use sound-proof barrier around the machines like SANY SR285R which produces noise levels as high as 115 dB(A). This study can also be used to do carry out proper maintenance of the machines depending on the noise level generated.