KARACHI, Aug 21: As part of its nine-day special study aimed at finding the levels of vehicular noise generation in the city, the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa) started taking readings of noise emissions caused by vehicular traffic on Thursday.

Noise readings were taken at Fresco Chowk (Burnes Road), Tibet Centre and Seventh Day Adventist Hospital on M. A. Jinnah Road and Empress Market. Six readings were taken at one of the points in question.

The Sepa, which plans to study vehicular traffic noise levels in 28 areas of the city, has dedicated two teams of its experts for the task.

The study is being conducted in view of an increase in the number of cabs and motorcycles in the city and the unchecked plying of faulty public transport buses in the recent years which have become a source of concern.

Each team is supposed to work between 9am and 9pm in two shifts at three to four points and perform relevant exercises on rotation in one given day. Each team consists of a data collector and a recorder.

The Sepa has also dedicated two of its three noise meters for the job, while the task of data interpretation will be outsourced.

Though data analysis is not a costly affair, private sector is being involved in view of non-availability of relevant experts and equipment at the agency, according to a source in the environment protection agency.

When contacted, the director-general of Sepa, Dr Mohammad Ali Shaikh, said that the agency was currently confining to the noise generated by all light and heavy motor vehicles, which were believed to be numbering around 1.3 million in the entire city.

Similar studies would be undertaken at hospitals, industries and other public places in the coming months, he added.

Replying to a question, Mr Shaikh said that as soon as the data collection and its relevant interpretations were completed, Sepa would hold a consultative workshop to get experts’ views on the subject of vehicular noise emissions and its impact on human health.

Later, it would prepare a set of suggestions and recommendations for the central environment agency of the country and the Sindh government, he said.

He noted that the objective was not only to help the regulatory authorities fix a national standard of vehicle noise generation, but also to suggest ways and means to overcome the problem of excess noise generated by motor vehicles during peak hours at places where noise level was considered to be on the higher side.

He hoped that the first report on extensive data on noise pollution would be made public in October.

According to health experts, noise level above 70 decibels may affect hearing capabilities of human beings and while 80 to 85 decibels are considered the maximum limit, bearable for a human.

Auto-rickshaws operation

A delegation of All Karachi Auto-rickshaw Owners and Dealers’ Association held a meeting with Director-General, SEPA, Dr Mohammad Ali Shaikh, and discussed measures to control noise pollution caused by two-stroke auto-rickshaws in the city. The group, led by Hakam Khan Jadoon, chairman of the association, told the DG that about 60,000 two-stroke-engine auto-rickshaws were operating in Karachi and those could not be replaced in one go.

The director-general said that environment was the concern of entire society and all the stakeholders were required to cooperate and coordinate while addressing the pollution issue.

He promised to look into its request that two-stroke engine rickshaws be allowed to continue plying on city roads and streets with some newly-designed silencers.

There are two issues associated with the operation of auto-rickshaws, noise pollution and their air emissions. In compliance to higher courts decisions the government has in recent years been discouraging two-stroke engine rickshaws in the city.

The association’s representatives also had brought with them a rickshaw fitted with a modified silencer, requesting the Sepa to evaluate its performance.

The Sepa staffs took three readings of noise levels of the rickshaw fitted with a new type of silencer, the rickshaws with old type of silencers and the CNG-fitted four-stroke rickshaws. The noise levels of the rickshaw fitted with a new silencer were 70.5 db (slow acceleration), 82.3 db (normal acceleration) and 86.2 db. (full acceleration), while the levels of four-stroke rickshaws operating on CNG were i.e. 69.2 (slow), 80.6 (normal) and 82.6 (full).

The average noise levels of the old two-stroke rickshaws with ordinary silencers ranged between 82.2 db (slow), 86.6 db (normal) and 93.2 db (full).

A source in the Sepa said that the agency would also examine the level of gaseous emissions from the rickshaws in question, in addition to noise readings, and then would evolve a strategy regarding the phasing out of the two-stroke engine auto rickshaws from the city.