Noise is a disturbance to the human environment and will become a
major threat to the quality of human lives. In last few decades, noise in urban
areas have been increasing rapidly. Noise pollution was analysed in 10
different squares (road sections) during four different specified times (7-10
a.m., 11a.m.-2 p.m., 3-6 p.m., 7-10 p.m.) to assess the level of noise
pollution of the Rayagada township. The sources of noise at the studied sites
were predominantly attributable to motor vehicular traffic. Noise descriptors
such as L
$_{10}$
, L
$_{50}$
,
L
$_{90}$
, L
$_{eq}$
, TNI (Traffic Noise
Index), NPL (Noise Pollution Level) and NC (Noise climate) were analysed to
reveal the extent of noise pollution of this town. L
$_{10}$
,
L
$_{50}$
, L
$_{90}$
,
L
$_{eq}$
, TNI, NPL, and NC values of all 10 monitored sites
ranged from 85.4 to 99.3 dB, from 72.6 to 86.5 dB, from 64.6 to 76.7 dB, from
80.4 to 99 dB, from 95.2 to 128.2 dB, from 95.1 to 159.2 dB, and from 13.3 to
30.3 dB, respectively. The present noise assessment depicted that even the
minimum values of Leq (80.4 dB), NPL (95.1 dB), TNI (95.2 dB) during day time
were more than the permissible limit (70 dB). The number of vehicles passing
through a fixed point on the studied road are counted to assess the traffic
volume (Q) and the percentage of heavy trucks and buses to total traffic was
also calculated to work out truck traffic mix ratio (P). Moreover, individual
contribution to environmental noise by the air horn of different motor vehicles
has also been assessed during day time. The episodic and impulsive noise levels
of different types of vehicles were more than the traffic noise-limit i.e. 70
dB (A). A survey adopting questionnaire method amongst 241 local inhabitants
had also been carried out to gather information regarding the effect of noise on human health.
