ASSESSMENT OF NOISE POLLUTION IN DHAKA CITY

Sanjib Chandra Chowdhury, M. Mahbubur Razzaque, and Md. Maksud Helali

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Dkaka-1000, Bangladesh.
e-mail: sanjib@me.buet.ac.bd

Hans Bodn
The Royal Institute of Technology, Teknikringen 8, 10044 Stockholm, Sweden
Like many other mega cities of developing countries, noise pollution in Dhaka city of Bangladesh is a big concern. Here noise is produced from different sources like traffic, loudspeaker, people gathering etc. To mitigate the noise pollution in Dhaka city, the government
of Bangladesh has recently passed a new ordinance and has modified the existing traffic control rules. However, the condition did not improve as much as expected. Exposure to high
level noise may cause severe stress on the auditory and nervous system of the city dwellers,
particularly the children. The extreme effects e.g. deafness and mental breakdown are also
occasionally reported. This paper reports the level of noise pollution in Dhaka city. For this
purpose noise levels have been measured at ten major locations of the city from 8 AM to 10
PM during the working days. The data have been analyzed to calculate various noise parameters such as Leq, and Lnp. It is observed that at all the locations, the level of noise remains far
above the acceptable limit for all the time. Comparison of present results with the existing
previous results shows that noise level in the Dhaka city is increasing day by day. The paper
suggests that urgent measures should be taken into consideration to control the level of noise
pollution in the city and vulnerable institutions like kinder gardens, schools and hospitals
should be located far away from the road side.

1.

Introduction

Noise can be defined in different ways. People who study acoustics define noise as complex
sound waves that are aperiodic, in other words, sound waves with irregular vibrations and no definite pitch. In engineering, noise is defined as a signal that interferes with the detection of or quality
of another signal [1]. Basically, noise is unwanted sound. It is a pollutant and a hazard to human
health and hearing. Noise in our environment affects physical health. Noise also has psychological

ICSV17, Cairo, Egypt, 18-22 July 2010

17th International Congress on Sound and Vibration (ICSV17), Cairo, Egypt, 18-22 July 2010
and social implications and affects our wellbeing and quality of life [2]. Frequent exposure to high
level of noise hampers physical and mental peace and may cause damage to the health.
Like other mega cities of developing countries, noise pollution in Dhaka city of Bangladesh is
a big concern. Along with the increasing degree of air and water pollution, the inhabitants of Dhaka
City are being exposed to high level of noise pollution. The level of noise pollution is very closely
related with urbanization and motorization. Although there are many sources of noise which include
industries, construction works, indiscriminate use of loudspeakers, people gathering, etc., the principal source of noise in Dkaka City is motorized traffic. To mitigate the noise pollution in Dhaka
city, the government of Bangladesh has recently passed a new ordinance and has modified the existing traffic control rules. However, the condition does not improve as much as expected. During the
70s and early 80s, noise pollution was not a major concern for the dwellers of Dhaka City. With the
increase of the number of motorized vehicles in the city, the hazard of noise pollution has increased
and exceeded the level of tolerance. Exposure to high level of noise is causing severe stress on the
auditory and nervous system of the dwellers of Dhaka City. Ahmed [3] reported that the hearing
ability of the inhabitants of Dhaka City has reduced during the last ten years. About five to seven
percent of the patients admitted to the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Medical University
(BSMMU) Hospital, Dhaka are suffering from permanent deafness due to noise pollution. Disturbances created by noise may cause hypertension, headache, indigestion, peptic ulcer, etc. [4-5].
This paper reports the level of noise pollution in Dhaka city. For this purpose noise levels
have been measured at several locations of the city from 8 AM to 10 PM during the working days.
The data have been analyzed to calculate various noise parameters such as Leq, and Lnp. To estimate
the trend of noise pollution, present results have been compared with the existing previous results.

2.

Measurement of Noise Parameters

Sound level, its frequency spectrum and its variation over time characterizes the nature of
noise. Although the level of noise largely depends on the subjective perception of the listener about
the loudness, the term sound level refers to a physical measure which is a function of the magnitude
of the sound pressure fluctuations. The most common measures of sound level are sound intensity
and sound pressure. Sound intensity (also called sound power density) is the average rate of sound
energy transmitted through a unit area perpendicular to the direction of sound propagation, typically
measured in pW/m2. Since no instrument is available to directly measure the power level of a
source, sound pressure is employed as a measure in this regard. Sound pressure is usually proportional to the square root of sound power. Because of dealing with large range of numbers, a logarithmic measure called decibel (dB) is used to describe sound level. The sound level in decibel is
defined as follows:
Sound level, L(dB) = 10 log10 ( P / P0 ) 2 = 20 log10 ( P / P0 )
(1)

where, P is root mean square value of the sound pressure (N/m2) and P0 is the standard reference
pressure (20 N/m2). For practical purpose, the decibel scale ranges from zero, the threshold of
hearing, to about 140 dB, the onset of pain. For every 3 decibel increase in sound level, the apparent
loudness of sound is doubled. In order to account for the ears response to different levels of noise,
weighing filters are used while measuring the sound level. The A-weighting sound level is devised
to represent a persons subjective response to the variation of sound more accurately. A-weighting,
though originally intended only for the measurement of low-level sounds, is now commonly used
for the measurement of environmental noise and industrial noise, as well as when assessing
potential hearing damage and other noise health effects at all sound levels.
Environmental noise levels show a good amount of variability with respect to time. It is, therefore, necessary to establish meaningful statistical noise measures that describe the magnitude of the
problem while capturing the variability. The parameter universally used in discussions of noise pollution of environment is Leq, the energy equivalent continuous noise level expressed in dB(A) which
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17th International Congress on Sound and Vibration (ICSV17), Cairo, Egypt, 18-22 July 2010
is the average rate at which energy is received by the human ear during the period mentioned [6].
Mathematical expression of Leq is as follows,
1 T f 2

1
(2)
Leq = 10 log10 2 dt = 10 log10 10 ( Li / 10 )

N i
T 0 f 0
where, T is the period of measurement and Li is the average noise level during interval i. Another
parameter, termed as Noise Pollution Level (Lnp), is also used to express varying level of noise [7].
It can be computed from the time varying noise level using following equation.
( L10 L90 ) 2
+ ( L10 L90 )
(3)
60
where L10, L50 and L90 indicate the levels exceeded for 10%, 50% and 90% of time respectively in a
set of records of noise level in a given interval of time (Fig.1). Lnp is expressed in the units of
dB(A). Leq provides the energy equivalent sound level received by the ear and hence an indicator of
the physiological disturbance to the hearing mechanism. Lnp takes into account the variations in
sound signal and hence serves as better indicator of noise pollution in the environment for physiological and psychological disturbance of the human system. Noise climate (NC) provides the range
over which the sound levels fluctuate in an interval of time and is given by the following equation.
NC = L10 L90
(4)
Lnp = L50 +

Figure 1. Different noise parameters.

3.

Impacts of Noise on Health

The most notable physical effect of noise exposure is loss of hearing [2]. Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) affects children, adolescents, young adults and older adults. Because of noise pollution, hearing loss is appearing much earlier in life. Noise not only affects hearing, it affects other
parts of the body and body systems. Noise can also hamper performance of daily tasks, increase
fatigue, and cause irritability. Noise can reduce efficiency in performing daily tasks by reducing
attention to tasks. This is a concern of employers when it comes to assuring workers' safety. Because of noise, we often find ourselves fatigued and irritable. We do not even realize the effect until
the noisy hubbub stops and we feel relief. From another perspective, due to noise ones own inability to hear and understand others clearly can cause one to feel angry and frustrated. Instead of ac-

17th International Congress on Sound and Vibration (ICSV17), Cairo, Egypt, 18-22 July 2010
cepting the problem is his/her, he/she misdirects his/her feelings to others and blows up at them.
Noise also makes speech communication harder. More concentration and energy is needed not only
to listen and hear over the noise but also to speak louder above the noise. As a result, voices can be
strained and vocal cord abuses, such as laryngitis, develop. It is a physical strain to carry on even an
enjoyable conversation in the presence of noise.
Noise is both a public health hazard and an environmental pollutant. Many of its effects are
well known and many of its effects continue to unfold through research. The World Health Organization (WHO) has documented seven categories of adverse health effects [8] of noise pollution on
humans which are: hearing loss, speech interference, sleep disturbance, cardiovascular and physiological effects, mental health disturbance, impaired task performance and negative social behavior
and annoyance.

4.

ACCEPTABLE NOISE LIMIT

Various standards are being used in different countries regarding the acceptable levels of
noise depending on the situation. Limits of acceptable noise level established by different organizations [3, 5] are given in Table 1.

Table 1. Acceptable Noise Level (dBA)

Description of Area

5.

DOE

Sensitive Areas such as parks,

schools, hospitals, mosques etc.

45

Residential Area

50

Mixed Area
Commercial Area
Industrial Area

60
70
75

Noise Level (dBA)

FHA
AASHTO
60

55-60

70 Exterior
55 Interior
70
75
75

70 Exterior
55 Interior
70
75
75

STUDY DESIGN

Noise levels have been measured at ten major locations in Dhaka City during 8 AM to 10 PM
on working days. The locations are BSMMU, Azimpur, DMCH, Science Laboratory, Dhanmondi,
Motijeel, Gulshan, Banani, Farmgate and Sayedabad. Almost all the locations are situated in mixed
areas whereas few of these are situated in residential and commercial areas. Noise levels have been
measured at the roadside as well as at a distance of about 50 m away from the roadside. This is done
to analyze the effects of distance and existing roadside barriers on the reduction of noise level.
Sound Level Meter (SLM) was placed at a height of about 1.5 m with the help of a tripod. Before
noise level measurement, SLM was calibrated by Tenmars sound level calibrator at 94 dB and 114
dB with 1 kHz. During noise level measurement, A-weighting scale was selected and the SLM
was switched to fast response mode. Noise levels have been measured at every 5 min intervals and
the values of these measurements have been recorded as the noise level for the corresponding location and time. From the recorded values of noise level, noise parameters have been estimated using
the equations described earlier.

6.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Noise levels have been measured at ten locations on ten different working days from January
02, 2010 to January 20, 2010. The weather was dry and the wind speed was negligible on these
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17th International Congress on Sound and Vibration (ICSV17), Cairo, Egypt, 18-22 July 2010
days. Figure 2 depicts the variation of noise level with time at BSMMU location. It is observed that
in morning, with the increase of time noise level increases whereas at night noise level decreases
with the increase of time. It is due to the increase and decrease of traffic flow and people gathering
with time at the morning and night, respectively. During the day time noise level remains almost
same. However, noise level at the inside position is lower than that of the roadside position at a particular time. This may be due to effects of distance and existing roadside barriers on the reduction of
noise level. The trend of variation of noise level observed for other locations is almost same.
Figures 3-5 show different noise parameters at different locations of Dhaka city. From these
figures it is found that values of different noise parameters are higher in commercial and mixed areas compared to those in residential areas. However, in a particular area, inside position is exposed
to less noise level compared to roadside position.

80
70
60

Road side

Inside

22
:0
0

20
:0
0

18
:0
0

16
:0
0

14
:0
0

12
:0
0

10
:0
0

50
8:
00

Sound Pressure Level (dBA)

90

Time

Figure 2. Variation of noise level with time at BSMMU of Dhaka city.

120.0
Inside

Roadside

80.0
60.0
40.0
20.0

M
Az U
im
pu
DM r
CH
B
Dh CS I
an R
m
on
di
M
ot
ije
Gu el
lsh
an
Ba
na
Fa ni
rm
Sa gate
ye
da
ba
d

0.0
BS
M

Leq (dBA)

100.0

Loacation

Figure 3. Variation of Leq at different locations of Dhaka city.

17th International Congress on Sound and Vibration (ICSV17), Cairo, Egypt, 18-22 July 2010

120.0
Inside

Lnp (dBA)

100.0

Roadside

80.0
60.0
40.0
20.0

CH
BC
SI
Dh
an R
m
on
di
M
ot
ije
e
Gu l
lsh
an
Ba
na
Fa ni
rm
ga
Sa
t
ye e
da
ba
d

DM

m
pu
r

Az
i

BS
M

M
U

0.0

Loacation
Figure 4. Variation of Lnp at different locations of Dhaka city.

16.0
Inside

Roadside

NC (dBA)

12.0
8.0
4.0

BC
SI
R
nm
on
di
M
ot
ije
e
Gu l
lsh
an
Ba
na
Fa ni
rm
ga
Sa
t
ye e
da
ba
d
Dh
a

CH

DM

m
pu
r

Az
i

BS
M

M
U

0.0

Loacation
Figure 5. Variation of NC at different locations of Dhaka city.

Citywide aggregated noise levels and dwellers exposure time to that level are summarized in
Table 2. From this table, it is observed that average noise levels and its degree of fluctuation as
given by Leq and Lnp are higher in roadside locations whereas the range of variation in noise level as
given by NC is higher in inside locations. It is observed that average noise level in roadside and
inside positions are about 82 dBA and 73 dBA, respectively which exceeds the acceptable limit for
mixed and commercial areas set by the Department of Environment (DOE), Bangladesh. Moreover,
the measured existing noise levels are higher than the values measured in the previous year [9]
which implies environmental noise level in Dhaka city is increasing day by day. Dwellers of Dhaka
city including school going children to retired persons are exposed to this high level environmental
noise for minimum 2 hours per day on an average which implies that they are in the risk of serious
health hazards.
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17th International Congress on Sound and Vibration (ICSV17), Cairo, Egypt, 18-22 July 2010
Table 2. Dhaka city wide average noise level and dwellers exposure time

Average value
Noise parameters

7.

Road side

Inside

Leq (dBA)

82

73

Lnp (dBA)

87

79

NC (dBA)

6.7

7.8

Exposure
time (Hours)

Minimum 2

CONCLUSIONS

Noise is undesirable or unwanted sound. Extended exposure to excessive sound has been
proved to produce physical and psychological damage. Because of its annoyance and disturbance
implications, noise adds to mental stress and hence affects the general wellbeing of those exposed to
it.
This paper reported an assessment of the level of noise pollution in Dhaka city. For this purpose noise levels have been measured at ten major locations of the city from 8 AM to 10 PM during
the working days. Various noise parameters are calculated from the data. It is observed that noise
pollution in Dhaka city far exceeds the acceptable limits set by the Department of Environment,
Bangladesh. Comparison of present results with the existing previous results shows that noise level
in Dhaka city is increasing day by day. Dwellers of Dhaka city are exposed to high level environmental noise for a sufficient duration of time which puts them in the risk of serious health hazards.
Therefore, urgent measures should be taken to control the level of noise pollution in the city. Moreover, magnitude of environmental noise is relatively lower in the inside locations. Therefore, vulnerable institutions like kinder gardens, schools and hospitals should be located far away from the
roadside unless special arrangement to alleviate the sound is adopted.

Acknowledgments
This work is done under the Assessment of Environmental Noise Impacts in Dhaka project
jointly conducted by Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), Dhaka, Bangladesh and The Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Stockholm, Sweden and funded by the Swedish Research Council.

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[2]
[3]
[4]

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W. Passchier-Vermeer, Noise and Health, The Hague: Health Council of the Netherlands,
publication No A93/02E, 1993.
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17th International Congress on Sound and Vibration (ICSV17), Cairo, Egypt, 18-22 July 2010
[5]
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OECD, Road Side Noise Abatement, Road Transport Research, Organization for Economic
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Dhaka City, Journal of Civil Engineering, IEB, Bangladesh, CE 29(1), pp 55-63, 2001.

Nomenclature and Abbreviations

DOE
FHA
AASHTO

=
=
=

Department of Environment, Bangladesh

Federal Highway Agency
American Assoc. of State Highway and Transportation Officials