To monitor noise level and mitigate noise pollution in city, the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) will install four Continuous Noise Monitoring Stations (CNMS) for the first time in Nagpur. These four CNMS will provide real-time noise level data of Nagpur for 24 hours and it will automatically upload the data in the MPCB website. “We received the equipment and the installation will start at four different places in the city soon. The CNMS will be installed beside the existing Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) installed by us. The tendering process is underway and we will complete the installation process soon,” Hema Deshpande, Regional Officer, MPCB told ‘The Hitavada’.

 

The four CNMS will be installed at Town Hall in Mahal, Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT) near IT Park, Laxminarayan Institute of Technology (LIT) at Amravati Road and MPCB Office in Civil Lines. The Board already has four CAAQMS in these government-run installations and the noise monitoring stations will be installed at the same allotted spots. “Due to increased human interference near the installed CAAQMS in Town Hall in Mahal area, we are planning to shift the CAAQMS to some other place which will be allotted by Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC). Meanwhile, the CNMS will also be shifted there. We will shift the station after getting space from the civic body,” said Deshpande.

 

MPCB normally conducts noise monitoring during festival season including Diwali and Ganesh Chaturthi. The manual monitoring takes place twice a year, which provides a representational data of city’s noise level. Whereas, the new CNMS will help to monitor noise level data of the city 24x7which will help the researchers and the administration to mitigate the pollution and also find out the causes of this type of pollution. To reduce the noise pollution in city, the police department has also implemented ‘No Honking’ rule on city roads. After installation of the four CNMS in city, the Board will monitor the noise level of the city and also find out the grey areas which should be improved to curb noise pollution.