Environmental Noise, Health Issues and Monitoring in New Delhi

The IICAQM 2017 conference brought together leading academics, scientists, engineers and government authorities to exchange and share their knowledge related to the assessment and management of air quality and exposure to pollution.

Irfan’s presentation outlined findings from two international studies by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Environmental Agency (EEA) based on a 15-year European campaign following the 2002/49/CE Directive on Noise. The results showed road traffic to be the largest source of noise disturbance, followed by railways, aircraft and industrial noise – some of these at very high to extreme levels (above 65 dB) affecting over 100 million people in Europe alone.

He discussed the history of noise monitoring solutions, from the 1970s to today, explaining why short-term measurement methods are no longer relevant. Irfan described solutions now available which not only quantify the issues, but also help decision makers identify mitigating measures and methods of communicating with the population.

Using road and railway noise monitoring and noise mapping case studies from Malaysia and Saudi Arabia, Irfan emphasised the importance of effective noise monitoring as a strategic tool for long term environmental management and planning, especially in countries with large metropolises and populations like India.

“Noise pollution is an environmental concern which affects the well-being of both human and wildlife populations and every country has a responsibility to monitor and remedy noise issues for the benefit of its communities,” said Irfan.

“It was a privilege to be able to share 01dB’s work in the area of noise and vibration monitoring with conference delegates. IICAQM was an invaluable opportunity to work with Indian and international researchers, academic institutions, government and the environmental industry,” concluded Irfan.