Mumbai: Noise levels beat last year’s Ganesh visarjan

 
Mumbai: Noise levels beat last year’s Ganesh visarjan
— By Staff Reporter | Aug 28, 2017 07:06 am
 
Photo by BL SONI
Mumbai: Noise on Ganesh Visarjan which is of one-and-half day duration are beyond any permissible noise levels. Having shown no faith in the division bench of Justice Abhay Oka and Justice Riyaz Chagla, the state government had termed Justice Oka “biased” and rejected the high court ruling against noise pollution. As a result, the Ganesh mandals got no restrictions in their celebrations.
Like every year, Sumaira Abdulali of Awaaz Foundation recorded noise levels beginning late Saturday night till midnight in silence zones. The results shockingly exceeded those of last year. “The highest noise pollution levels during the processions of the one-and-half-day Visarjan this year marginally exceeded even that on the last day of Visarjan last year,” Abdulali said.

The highest on Saturday was 116.8dB and the same on  the 10th and final day of Ganpati last year was 11.4dB. “All readings were taken in the extended time period of 10pm to 12 midnight in residential areas having educational institutes, hospitals, religious places and courts,” Abdulali said. The highest noise level was recorded when drums and metal cylinders and plate are played after 10pm. Processions in several parts of the city used D/Js, drums, metal plates and banjos even in the presence of police.