Honking on roads can and is a real nuisance for all living in metropolitan cities across the world. Of course, some countries have banned honking, but in most countries, it’s an everyday reality. And Hyderabad is one such city, which has been having lots of trouble due to ever-increasing air and noise pollution. The decibel levels, however, have come down in the last few months, and the city has become quieter, say observers. This comes as good news to many who commute through heavy traffic at least twice a day.

In news that might surprise many, Telangana State Pollution Control Board (TSPCB) has declared that the noise levels have come down in the city since the beginning of 2021. Well, one reason could be that a whole lot of people are working from home and so that many vehicles are off roads.

To gauge noise levels, the city has been divided into various zones, including residential (Jubilee Hills, Tarnaka), commercial (Abids, JNTU), industrial (Sanathnagar, Jeedimetla, and Gaddapotharam), and sensitive (Nehru Zoological Park, Gachibowli). The acceptable daytime and nighttime decibels depend on the kind of zone one are in.

Though the accepted range near Nehru Zoological Park is 50dB, in January, it was 64.22dB. Meanwhile, Jeedimetla had the lowest daytime noise level in October at 68.88 dB, and Sanathnagar had 64.34 dB at night time. In Jubilee Hills, the noise level was 58.77 in October, while night time noise level was 56.32 dB. Incidentally, in Jubilee Hills and Tarnaka, the acceptable noise levels happen to be 55dB and 45dB.

According to a leading ENT surgeon from the city, noise pollution can lead to irritability and anger among people who are constantly exposed to it. He says that’s also one of the reasons behind increasing cases of road rage. Also, in residential areas, such high volumes could affect sleep patterns and this, in turn, leads to inefficiency at work, he shares.