The document discusses noise pollution, defining noise as unpleasant sound and explaining its measurement in decibels, with potential health effects such as hearing loss and physiological issues. It outlines the major sources of noise pollution and emphasizes the importance of noise control techniques for mitigation, including reducing noise at the source and protecting the recipient. Additionally, it touches on hazardous wastes, their classification, environmental impact, and the role individuals can play in preventing pollution, alongside disaster management strategies in response to natural disasters.

1. Noise pollution
Sound is a form of energy which is emitted by a vibrating body and on
reaching the ear causes the sensation of hearing through nerves. Sounds
produced by all vibrating bodies are not audible. The frequency limits of
audibility are from 20 HZ to 20,000 HZ.
A type of sound may be pleasant to someone and at the same time unpleasant
to others. The unpleasant and unwanted sound is called noise.
The discrimination and differentiation between sound and noise also depends
upon the habit and interest of the person/species receiving it, the ambient
conditions and impact of the sound generated during that particular
duration of time. There could be instances that, excellently rendered musical
concert for example, may be felt as noise and exceptional music as well during
the course of the concert!
The intensity of sound is measured in sound pressure levels (SPL) and
common unit of measurement is decibel, dB. The SPL is logarithmic ratio of
the sound pressure to a reference pressure. If the sound levels are measured
in terms of pressure, then, sound pressure level, LP is given by,

2. LP = 20 Log10 (P/Po) dB(A)
The Lp is measured against a standard reference pressure, Po = 2 x 10-5
N/m2
which is equivalent to zero decibels. The sound pressure is the pressure
exerted at a point due to a sound producing source.
Addition of sound levels: The effective sound levels form two or more
sources cannot be simply added algebraically.

4. Sources of noise
The sources of noise may be domestic (movement of utensils, cutting and
peeling of fruits/vegetables etc.) natural (shores, birds/animal shouts, wind
movement, sea tide movement, water falls etc.), commercial (vendor shouts,
automobiles, aeroplanes, marriages, laboratory, machinery etc.) industrial
(generator sets, boilers, plant operations, trolley movement, transport vehicles,
pumps, motors etc.).

5. Effects of noise pollution on physical health
The most direct harmful effect of excessive noise is physical damage to the
ear and the temporary or permanent hearing loss often called a temporary
threshold shift (TTS). Permanent loss, usually called noise induced permanent
threshold shift (NIPTS) represents a loss of hearing ability from which there is
no recovery. Some of the adverse effects are summarized below:
Annoyance: It creates annoyance to the receptors due to sound level
fluctuations. The aperiodic sound due to its irregular occurrences causes
displeasure to hearing and causes annoyance.
Physiological effects: The physiological features like breathing amplitude,
blood pressure, heart-beat rate, pulse rate, blood cholesterol are effected.
Loss of hearing: Long exposure to high sound levels cause loss of hearing.
This is mostly unnoticed, but has an adverse impact on hearing function.
Human performance: The working performance of workers/human will be
affected as they'll be losing their concentration.

6. Nervous system: It causes pain, ringing in the ears, feeling of tiredness,
thereby effecting the functioning of human system.
Sleeplessness: It affects the sleeping there by inducing the people to
become restless and loose concentration and presence of mind during their
activities.
Damage to material : The buildings and materials may get damaged by
exposure to infrasonic / ultrasonic waves and even get collapsed.
The variations in the emission of noise levels in a particular environment can be
assessed from the statistical distribution of noise levels in that environment.
To draw a statistical distribution curve, terms like L10, L50 and L90 play an
important role. The Sound levels exceeding 10%, 50% and 90% of the total
time intervals during a particular period are designated as L10, L50 and L90
respectively.
The equivalent noise levels, Leq can also be calculated as
Leq = L50 + (L10 - L90)2
/ 60

7. Permitted noise levels
A standard safe time limit has been set for exposure to various noise levels.
Beyond this ‘safe’ time continuing exposure over a period of a year will lead to
hearing loss.

9. Noise Pollution during Diwali: There has been a great concern over the
noise levels generated during Diwali. Noise generated by various
firecrackers is beyond the permissible noise levels of 125 decibels as
per the Environmental Protection (second Amendment) Rules,1999.
Supreme Court in a Writ petition(civil) of 1998 concerning noise pollution
had passed the following direction as an interim measure:
1) The manufacture, sale or use of fire-crackers generating noise level
exceeding 125 dB(AI) or 145 dB(C)pk at 4 meter distance from the point of
bursting shall be prohibited.
2) The use of firecrackers shall not be permitted except between 6.00p.m.
and 10.00 p.m.
3) Fire crackers shall not be used at any time in silence zones( Silence zone
in an area comprising not less that 100 meters around hospitals, education
institutions, courts, religious places or any other area which is declared as
such by the competent authority).

10. Noise Control techniques
There are four fundamental ways in which noise can be controlled:
• Reduce noise at the source,
• Block the path of noise,
• Increase the path length
• Protect the recipient.
In general, the best control method is to reduce noise levels at the
source.
Noise Control at Source: The noise pollution can be controlled at the source
of generation itself by employing techniques like-
Reducing the noise levels from domestic sectors: The domestic noise
coming from radio, tape recorders, television sets, mixers, washing machines,
cooking operations can be minimized by their selective and judicious operation.
Maintenance of automobiles: Regular servicing and tuning of vehicles will
reduce the noise levels. Fixing of silencers to automobiles, two wheelers etc.,
will reduce the noise levels.
Control over vibrations: The vibrations of materials may be controlled using
proper foundations, rubber padding etc. to reduce the noise levels caused by
vibrations.

11. Prohibition on usage of loud speakers: By not permitting the usage of
loudspeakers in the habitant zones except for important meetings / functions.
Now-a-days, the urban administration of the metro cities in India, is becoming
stringent on usage of loudspeakers.
Maintenance of machines: Proper lubrication and maintenance of machines,
vehicles etc. will reduce noise levels. Similarly is the case of machines. Proper
handling and regular maintenance is essential not only for noise control but
also to improve the life of machine.
Control in the transmission path
The change in the transmission path will increase the length of travel for the
wave and get absorbed/refracted/radiated in the surrounding environment.
The available techniques are briefly discussed below.
Installation of barriers: Installation of barriers between noise source and
receiver can attenuate the noise levels. For a barrier to be effective, its lateral
width should extend beyond the line-of-sight at least as much as the height.
The barrier may be either close to the source or receiver, subject to the
condition that, R <<D or in other words, to increase the traverse length for the
sound wave.

12. Design of building: The design of the building incorporating the use of
suitable noise absorbing material for wall/door/window/ceiling will reduce
the noise levels.

13. Green belt development: Green belt development can attenuate the sound
levels. The degree of attenuation varies with species of greenbelt. The statutory
regulations direct the industry to develop greenbelt four times the built-up area
for attenuation of various atmospheric pollutants, including noise.
Using protection equipment: The usage of protective equipment and the
worker's exposure to the high noise levels can be minimised by –
Job rotation: By rotating the job between the workers working at a particular
noise source or isolating a person, the adverse impacts can be reduced.
Exposure reduction: Regulations prescribe that, noise level of 90 dB (A) for
more than 8 hr continuous exposure is prohibited. Persons who are working
under such conditions will be exposed to occupational health hazards.
Hearing protection: Equipment like earmuffs, ear plugs etc. are the commonly
used devices for hearing protection. Attenuation provided by ear-muffs vary
widely in respect to their size, shape, seal material etc. Literature survey shows
that, an average noise attenuation up to 32 dB can be achieved using earmuffs.

14. Hazardous wastes
Hazardous wastes are those that can cause harm to humans or the
environment. Wastes are normally classified as hazardous waste when they
cause or significantly contribute to an increase in mortality or an increase
in serious irreversible or incapacitating reversible illness or pose a
substantial present or potential hazard to human health or the environment
when improperly treated, stored, transported or disposed of.
A waste is classified as a hazardous waste if it exhibits any of the four primary
characteristics based on the physical or chemical properties of toxicity,
reactivity, ignitability and corrosivity.
1) Toxic wastes: are those substances that are poisonous even in very
small or trace amounts. Some may have an acute or immediate effect on
humans or animals causing death or violent illness. Others may have a
chronic or long term effect slowly causing irreparable harm to exposed
persons.
2) Reactive wastes: are those that have a tendency to react vigorously with
air or water, are unstable to shock or heat, generate toxic gases or explode
during routine management. For example, gunpowder, nitroglycerine, etc.

15. 3) Ignitable wastes: are those that burn at relatively low temperatures (less
than 60° C) and are capable of spontaneous combustion during storage,
transport or disposal. For example, gasoline, paint thinners, and alcohol.
4) Corrosive wastes: are those that destroy materials and living tissue by
chemical reaction. For example, acids and bases.
5) Infectious wastes: include human tissue from surgery, used bandages and
hypodermic needles, microbiological materials, etc.
6) Radioactive waste: is basically an output from the nuclear power plants
and can persist in the environment for thousands of years before it decays
appreciably.
Environmental problems and health risks caused by hazardous wastes:
•As most of the hazardous wastes are disposed of on or in land the most
serious environmental effect is contaminated groundwater.
•Pesticides are used increasingly to protect and increase food production.
Today we have an alternative to the excess use of pesticides through the use
of Integrated Pest Management (IPM).

16. •Lead, mercury and arsenic are hazardous substances which are often
referred to as heavy metals. Most of the lead taken up by people and wildlife is
stored in bones. Lead can affect red blood cells by reducing their ability to carry
oxygen and shortening their life span. Lead may also damage nerve tissue
which can result in brain disease.
•PCBs (Polychlorinated biphenyls) are resistant to fire and do not conduct
electricity very well which makes them excellent materials for several industrial
purposes. PCBs are concentrated in the kidneys and liver and thus cause
damage. They cause reproductive failure in birds and mammals.
•Vinyl chloride is a chemical that is widely used in the manufacture of
plastic. After a long continuous exposure (one to three years) in humans, vinyl
chloride can cause deafness, vision problems, circulation disorders and
bone deformities. Vinyl chloride can also cause birth defects.
•Today the most common methods for disposing off hazardous wastes are land
disposal and incineration. Although toxic wastes cannot be entirely
eliminated, technologies are available for minimizing, recycling and treating
wastes.

17. ROLE OF AN INDIVIDUAL IN PREVENTION OF POLLUTION
A small effort made by each individual at his own place will have pronounced
effect at the global level. It is aptly said, ‘ Think globally act locally’. Each
individual should change his or her lifestyle in such a way as to reduce
environmental pollution. Few of the suggestion are as follows:
•Lay greater emphasis on pollution prevention than pollution control.
•Use ecofriendly products. example: use CFC free refrigerators, use the
chemical derived from peaches and plums to clean computer chips and circuit
board instead of CFCs.
• Reduce the dependency on fossil fuel especially coal or oil, promote the
use of non-conventional source of energy such as solar energy, biomass
energy etc.
•Promote Reuse and Recycling wherever possible and reduce the
production of waste. Improve energy efficiency to reduce the amount of
waste energy.
•Save electricity by not wasting it. Shut off the lights and fans when not
needed.

18. •Do not litter the roads and surroundings just because the sweeper from the
Municipal Corporation will clean it up. Take care to put trash into dustbins or
bring it back home with you where it can be appropriately disposed.
•Try to avoid asking for plastic carry bags when you buy groceries or
vegetables or any other items. Use your own cloth bag instead.
•Try to lobby and push for setting up garbage separation and recycling
programs in your localities.
•Advocate organic farming by asking your grocery store to stock vegetables
and fruits grown by an organic method. This will automatically help to reduce
the use of pesticides.
•Reduce the use of wood and paper products wherever possible.
Manufacturing paper leads to pollution and loss of forests which releases
oxygen and takes up carbon dioxide. Try to recycle paper products and use
recycled paper wherever possible.
•Set up a compost bin in your garden or terrace and use it to produce manure
for your plants to reduce use of fertilizers.

19. DISASTER MANAGEMENT: FLOODS, EARTHQUAKES, CYCLONES,
LANDSLIDES
The Indian subcontinent is very vulnerable to droughts, floods, cyclones,
earthquakes, landslides, avalanches and forest fires. Among the 36 states
and Union territories in the country,22 are prone to disasters.
Among all the disasters that occur in the country, floods are the most
frequently occurring natural disasters, due to the irregularities of the Indian
monsoon. Approximately 40 million hectares of land in the country has been
identified as being prone to floods. Major floods are mainly caused in the
Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna basin which carries 60 percent of the total river
flow of our country.
India has a long coastline of 5700 kms, which is exposed to tropical cyclones
arising in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian sea. The Indian Ocean is one of
the six major cyclone prone regions of the world. In India, cyclones occur
usually between April and May and also between October and December.
Earthquakes are considered to be one of the most destructive natural hazards.
About 50 to 60 percent of India is vulnerable to seismic activity of varying
intensities. Most of the vulnerable areas are located in the Himalayan and
sub-Himalayan regions.

20. From management to mitigation of disasters
Till very recently the approach towards dealing with natural disasters has been
post disaster management involving problems such as evacuation,
warnings, communications, search and rescue, fire-fighting, medical and
psychiatric assistance, provision of relief, shelter, etc.
Natural occurrences such as floods, earthquakes, cyclones, etc. will always
occur. They are a part of the environment that we live in. However
destruction from natural hazards can be minimized by the presence of a well
functioning warning system combined with preparedness on part of the
community that will be affected.
Disaster management is a multidisciplinary area in which a wide range of
issues that range from forecasting, warning, evacuation, search and
rescue, relief, reconstruction and rehabilitation are included. It is also multi-
sectoral as it involves administrators, scientists, planners, volunteers and
communities. These roles and activities span the pre-disaster, during disaster
and post disaster plans.
The early warning systems for a range of natural hazards are available at
present however they are not enough to ensure communities are safe from
disasters. This is where disaster mitigation can play an important role.

21. Mitigation means lessening the negative impact of the natural hazards. It is
defined as sustained action taken to reduce long term vulnerability of human
life and property to natural hazards.
The main elements of a mitigation strategy are as follows:
a) Risk assessment and Vulnerability analysis: This involves identification
of hot spot areas of prime concern, collection of information on past natural

22. natural hazards, information of the natural ecosystems and information on the
population and infrastructure. Once this information is collected a risk
assessment should be done to determine the frequency, intensity, impact
and the time taken to return to normalcy after the disaster. The use of
Geographical Information Systems (GIS) a computer program can be a
valuable tool in this process as the primary data can be easily updated and the
corresponding assessments can be made.
Applied research and technology transfer
There is a need to establish or upgrade observation equipment and
networks, monitor the hazards properly, improve the quality of forecasting and
warning, disseminate information quickly through the warning systems and
undertake disaster simulation exercises.
Public awareness and training
One of the most critical components of a mitigation strategy is the training to be
imparted to the officials and staff of the various departments involved at the
state and the district level. The success of a mitigation strategy will depend to a
large extent on the inter-sectional, inter-departmental coordination and
efficient teamwork.

23. Institutional mechanisms
The most important need at the National level is to strengthen or develop the
capacity to undertake disaster mitigation strategies. The National Disaster
Management Authority (NDMA) establish in 1999 perform such a task.
Incentives and resources for mitigation
To a very large extent the success of mitigation programs will depend upon
the availability of continued funding. There is thus a need to develop
mechanisms to provide stable sources of funding for all mitigation programs.
Landuse planning and regulations
Long term disaster reduction efforts should aim at promoting appropriate
land-use in the disaster prone areas. Special maps for Costal regulation
zones, earthquake prone region and river flood plain should be prepared
and introduced into land use planning.
Hazard resistant design and construction
In areas that are prone to disasters protection can be enhanced by careful
selection of sites and the way the buildings are built.

24. Structural and constructional reinforcement of existing buildings
It is also possible to reduce the vulnerability of existing buildings through minor
adaptations or alterations thereby ensuring their safety. This can be done by
insertion of walls on the outside of the building, buttresses, walls in the interior
of the building, portico fill-in-walls, specially anchored frames, covering of
columns and beams, construction of new frame system etc.
Floods and mitigation measures
Floods can be caused by natural, ecological or anthropogenic factors either
individually or as a combined result. Anthropogenic activities such as
deforestation and shifting cultivation can also contribute to floods. The
mitigation measures for floods include both structural and non-structural
measures. Structural measures includes:
1) Reservoirs for impounding monsoon flows to be released in a regulated
manner after the peak flood flow passes.
2) Prevention of over-bank spilling by the construction of embankments and
floodwalls.
3) Improvement of flow conditions in the channel and anti-erosion
measures.

25. The non-structural measures include:
1) Flood plain management such as Flood Plain Zoning and Flood Proofing
including Disaster Preparedness
2) Maintaining wetlands
3) Flood forecasting and warning services
Earthquakes and mitigation measures
Earthquakes occurs due to sudden movements of earth’s crust. The earth
crust has several tectonic plates of solid rock which slowly moves along with
their boundaries. Some time due to friction fracture formation take place along
the boundaries or fault line within the plate.

26. The severity of an earthquake is generally measured by its magnitude on
Richter Scale:

28. Mitigation measures:
The critical factors responsible for the high seismic risk in India has prioritized
six sets of critical interventions; as the six pillars of earthquake
management. They are to:
1) Ensure the incorporation of earthquake-resistant design features for the
construction of new structures.
2) Facilitate selective strengthening and seismic retrofitting of existing
priority and lifeline structures in earthquake-prone areas.
3) Improve the compliance regime through appropriate regulation and
enforcement.
4) Improve the awareness and preparedness of all stakeholders.
5) Introduce appropriate capacity development interventions for effective
earthquake management (including education training, R&D, and
documentation).
6) Strengthen the emergency response capability in earthquake-prone
areas.

29. Cyclones and mitigation measures
Tropical cyclones are the worst natural hazards in the tropics. They are
large revolving vortices in the atmosphere extending horizontally from 150
to1000 km and vertically from the surface to 12 to 14 km. These are intense
low-pressure areas. Strong winds spiraling anti clockwise in the Northern
Hemisphere blow around the cyclone center at the lower level.
They generally move 300 to 5000 km per day over the ocean. While moving
over the ocean they pick up energy from the warm water of the ocean and
some of them grow into a devastating intensity. One of the requirement for
formation of tropical cyclones is that the sea surface temperature (SST) should
be above 26°C.

30. On an average about 5 to 6 tropical cyclones form in the Bay of Bengal and
the Arabian Sea every year out of which 2 to 3 may be severe. More
cyclones form in the Bay of Bengal than in the Arabian Sea.
The main dangers from cyclones are very strong winds, torrential rains and
high storm tides. Most of the causalities are caused by coastal inundation
by storm tides. This is often followed by heavy rainfall and floods. Storm surges
cause the greatest destruction.
mitigation measures: Some of the mitigation methods are as follows:
1) Installation of early warning systems: Such systems fitted along the
coastlines can greatly assist forecasting techniques thus helping in early
evacuation of people in the storm surge areas.
2) Developing communication infrastructure: Communication plays a vital
role in cyclone disaster mitigation and yet this is one of the first services that
gets disrupted during cyclones. Amateur Radio has today emerged as a
second line unconventional communications systems and is an important
tool for disaster mitigation.

31. 3) Developing shelter belts: Shelter belts with plantations of trees can act as
effective wind and tide breakers. Apart from acting as effective windbreakers
and protecting soil crops from being damaged they prevent soil erosion.
4) Developing community cyclone shelters: Cyclone shelters at strategic
locations can help minimizing the loss of human life. In the normal course these
shelters can be used as public utility buildings.
5) Construction of permanent houses: There is a need to build appropriately
designed concrete houses that can withstand high winds and tidal waves.
6) Training and education: Public awareness programs that inform the
population about their response to cyclone warnings and preparedness can go
a long way in reducing causalities.
7) Land use control and settlement planning: No residential and industrial
units should be ideally permitted in the coastal belt of 5 km from the sea as it is
the most vulnerable belt.

32. Landslides and mitigation measures
Landslides occur as a result of changes on a slope, sudden or gradual,
either in its composition, structure, hydrology or vegetation. The changes can
be due to geology, climate, weathering, land-use and earthquakes.
Landslides are recurring phenomena in the Himalayan region. In the recent
years however intensive construction activity and the destabilizing forces
of nature have aggravated the problem.

33. Type of Land slide:
The term "landslide" describes a wide variety of processes that
result in the downward and outward movement of slope-
forming materials including rock, soil, artificial fill, or a
combination of these. The materials may move by falling,
toppling, sliding, spreading, or flowing.
The various types of landslides can be differentiated by the kinds
of material involved and the mode of movement.

35. LANDSLIDE CAUSES: It can be characterize into three major type:
1) Geological: It can be due to presence of weak or sensitive materials,
sheared, jointed, or fissured materials, contrast in permeability and/or
stiffness of materials etc..
2) Morphological causes: It can be due to Tectonic or volcanic uplift, Fluvial,
wave, or glacial erosion of slope toe or lateral margins, Vegetation removal
(by fire, drought) etc.
3) Human causes: It is mainly due to Mining, Deforestation, Irrigation,
Drawdown (of reservoirs) etc.

36. mitigation measures: Some of the mitigation measures are:
1) preventing the exposure of population and facilities to landslides.
2) Developmental programs that involve modification of the topography,
exploitation of natural resources and change in the balance load on the
ground should not be permitted in the landslide prone region.
3) Some critical measures that could be undertaken to prevent further
landslides are drainage measures, erosion control measures such a
bamboo check dams, terracing, jute and coir netting.
4) Rock fall control measures such as grass plantation, vegetated dry
masonry wall, retaining wall and most importantly preventing deforestation
and improving afforestation.