Archive · 11 Oct 2026
Bhopal Report Finds Noise Limits Exceeded at 47 Intersections
A report looked at noise at 69 road intersections in Bhopal.
It found that 47 were louder than the noise limits that apply to their areas.
The other 22 were within those limits.
Commercial and mixed areas have a limit of 65 decibels, while residential areas have a limit of 55 decibels.
Five residential locations were over their limit.
The report said noise readings were broadly similar whether public announcement systems were operating or not.
This suggests that traffic and other nearby activities also contributed to the noise.
Advocate Harshvardhan Tiwari said the report did not include readings for silence zones around places such as hospitals, schools, colleges and courts.
A report submitted by the Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board to the NGT found 47 of 69 monitored Bhopal intersections exceeded applicable noise limits.
The other 22 intersections recorded noise levels within the applicable standards.
The standards cited are 65 dB for commercial and mixed areas and 55 dB for residential areas.
Among the 47 locations over the limit, 25 were commercial and five were residential; the rest were mixed-use.
Advocate Harshvardhan Tiwari said the report did not provide noise levels for silence zones.
- Who
- The Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board submitted the report; advocate Harshvardhan Tiwari commented on it.
- What
- The report found noise levels above applicable standards at 47 of 69 monitored intersections.
- When
- The article does not specify when the monitoring or report submission took place.
- Where
- Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
- Why
- The report assessed intersection noise against applicable ambient noise standards.
Report assessment
Advocate's concern
Coverage of noise monitoring
Report assessment
The report compared noise readings at 69 intersections with standards for commercial, mixed and residential areas.
Advocate's concern
Harshvardhan Tiwari said the report did not mention noise levels in silence zones, including areas around hospitals, educational institutions and courts.
- Intersections monitored
- 69
- Over applicable noise limits
- 47 intersections
- Within applicable limits
- 22 intersections
- Commercial and mixed-area standard
- 65 dB
- Residential-area standard
- 55 dB
- Locations over limit by area
- 25 commercial, five residential, and the remaining mixed in nature
- Boundary noise ceiling
- No more than 10 dB(A) above the local ambient standard, with an absolute ceiling of 75 dB(A)