Investigation and Abatement of Traffic Based Noise in Samba Town of Jammu and Kashmir, India

Abstract

Traffic noise is unwanted sound that comes from vehicles operating on roadways. During the study it was found that noise level of Samba town of Jammu and Kashmir, India is deteriorating at an alarming rate. Outdoor Equivalent Noise Level (Leq), Noise Pollution Level (LNP), Noise Climate (NC) and Traffic Noise Index (TNI) exhibited variable trends at different Subareas of both the first year as well as second year study period. Statistical analysis revealed significant (p<0.05 positive correlation(r>0) between Leq and traffic flow at all the subareas except at ATF1 and ATF7 (non-working hours).The value of TNI was found to be much more higher at all the subareas of study area than respective Leq of study area. The noise levels were more than the prescribed and has reached an alarming level in most areas of the Samba town. So, it is high time to adopt effective mitigation measures to prevent the residents of Samba from the detrimental effects of this menace.